King tides and passing storms brought floods Friday morning. What will the weekend bring?

Howard Cohen
·2 min read

Many South Floridians might have woken Friday morning to the sound of classic rocker Bob Seger’s famous song’s refrain: “woke last night to the sound of thunder” as an ear worm.

That’s because nature provided plenty of percussive accompaniment as thunderstorms swept through parts of Miami-Dade and Broward, dumping up to 2 inches of rain and leading to a flood advisory from the National Weather Service in Miami.

King tides merged with rain

The flood chances are boosted with help from the coinciding highest king tides of the year. The current wave of king tides started Wednesday and runs through runs a week until October 21, according to NOAA. Friday morning’s high tide was its peak and was joined by the passing downpours.

“Tides are currently running .6 ft above NOAA predicted peaks, which (if that stays consistent) should result in a maximum king tide around 1.7 FT NAVD,” Alan Dodd, Miami’s chief resilience officer, wrote in an email to the Miami Herald.

The National Weather Service said the following areas could experience flooding: Miami, Coral Gables, Sweetwater, Doral, West Miami, El Portal, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Opa-locka, West Park, Miami Springs, Miami Shores, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Aventura, Miramar and Hallandale.

The Florida Keys is also feeling the intersection of rains — a steady 60% chance this weekend — and high tides.

“Across the Middle and Upper Keys, minor saltwater flooding will be most pronounced around the time of high tide. For the Bayside communities of the Upper Keys, water levels will tend to stay high, with little to no relief at low tide,” the National Weather Service said in its coastal flood statement for Monroe County.

Two disturbances in the Atlantic have a low chance of development, forecasters say

What to expect on the weekend

The flood advisory lasts through Saturday. Rain chances are at 70% Friday before declining at night and picking up a bit Saturday and Sunday with chances between 30% and 40%.

Rain chances for South Florida then settle in the 30% range through Thursday. The Keys are looking to be a bit wetter, running 50% and 40% for much of the week.

Look for highs in the mid-80s and lows around 78 degrees.