Publication Date October 29, 2015 | Forbes

Are Flooding And Crazy 'King Tides' In The Southeast Proof Of Climate Change?

United States
King tides flood Miami streets. Photo: NOAA
King tides flood Miami streets. Photo: NOAA

to look at the serious flooding that happened along the southeastern coast of the United States this week could be an eerie and disconcerting glimpse into the future — a future in which our coastlines are being altered by, yes, climate change.

Tuesday morning’s high tide in Charleston, S.C. peaked at over eight-and-a-half feet — that’s a foot-and-a-half more than was predicted for the so-called “king tide” or normally occurring highest tide of the year. Those “supermoons” you’ve been hearing about play a role in this, as do winds and currents, but there’s another increasingly undeniable factor  that’s new to the scene: sea level rise...

Climate isn’t weather, but king tides aren’t really weather either. What they are, however, is a little local window into sea levels, which are very much connected to climate and climate change