King Tides and the Rising Need for Real-Time Flood Readiness

Each year, king tides offer a clear warning of rising sea levels and coastal vulnerability. Discover how FloodWise^TM empowers communities to turn these predictable tides into opportunities for real-time flood forecasting and proactive resilience.

Each year, coastlines across the nation experience a phenomenon that quietly signals the growing risks of coastal communities, king tides. Despite clear skies and calm winds, these high tide events result in ocean waters rising higher than expected, swelling over seawalls, inching across city streets, and pooling in neighborhoods that haven’t experienced as much as a drop of rain. Though these events are predictable, they serve as a powerful reminder of our increasing vulnerability to coastal flooding and sea level rise.

Understanding King Tides

The term king tide refers to the highest predicted tides of the year, a result of the gravitational alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth. When the moon and sun align during a new or full moon, their combined gravitational pull produces higher high tides and lower low tides, known as spring tides. When this alignment coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth, or perigee, the effect intensifies, creating what scientists call a perigean spring tide, better known as a king tide.

Because they’re driven by celestial mechanics, king tides can be forecast years in advance by agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In the United States, these extreme tides typically occur once or twice a year, often in the fall, when warmer water and seasonal winds amplify water levels.

Anticipated king tide dates for 2025 are as follows:

• April 26th – 30th
• May 25th – 28th
• October 6th – 12th
• November 4th – 9th
• December 3rd – 7th

Why King Tides Matter

King tides often cause “sunny-day flooding” – coastal inundation that occurs without rainfall or storms. In low-lying areas, these events can close roads, corrode vehicles, damage infrastructure, and highlight drainage vulnerabilities. They also provide a tangible preview of future water levels as sea level rise continues to push the baseline higher.

Today’s king tide levels are tomorrow’s everyday high tides. For communities, this reality underscores the importance of moving from prediction to preparedness, of not only knowing when tides will rise, but also where and how deeply water will impact community assets.

From Predictable Tides to Unpredictable Impacts

The predictability of king tides opens the door for powerful planning moments. Yet tide height alone doesn’t determine risk. A modest onshore wind can push water further inland than predicted. A low-pressure system can allow the ocean surface to rise several additional inches. If king tides coincide with heavy rain, storm surge, or swollen rivers, “minor” flooding can compound into disruptive, infrastructure-damaging events. Managing such uncertainty requires advanced tools that can forecast flooding impacts several days in advance at the street, house, and critical infrastructure levels.

FloodWise^TM: Turning Data into Decisive Action

When the next king tide approaches, imagine having precise, real-time insights into which streets, neighborhoods, and facilities will be affected hours and even days in advance. FloodWise^TM, Streamline Technologies’ advanced flood forecasting platform, makes that possible.

Running continuously, FloodWise^TM integrates live rainfall data, NOAA’s coastal ocean forecasts, and the widely accepted hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) model, StormWise^TM, to deliver hyperlocal, street-level forecasts several days in advance. Using Flood Risk Points^TM (FRPs) derived from AI-mapped buildings, roads, and utilities, FloodWise^TM translates complex data into clear, actionable intelligence for key decision-makers, emergency responders, and public works teams alike.

From an intuitive dashboard, users can visualize forecasted depths, durations, and extents of flooding, empowering them to allocate resources, close roads, and protect vulnerable assets proactively. By running 24/7 and updating hourly, FloodWise^TM ensures that decision-makers always operate with the latest, most reliable information.

A Proactive Path Forward

Coastal communities cannot control celestial alignments or seasonal currents, but they can control readiness. With FloodWise^TM, preparation is no longer a static checklist tied to a tide calendar; it’s a dynamic, data-driven strategy that adapts to every hourly update and every local nuance. That’s how you move from reacting to water to staying a step ahead of it.

So, are you ready to turn tide predictions and advanced flood forecasting into action?

With FloodWise^TM, experience how real-time, street-level flood forecasting can help your community anticipate the flooding impacts of today’s king tides, while helping to build resiliency before tomorrow’s “normal” tide arrives

Contact our team today to learn how real-time flood forecasting empowers you to prepare for, mitigate, and recover from flood events as we build safer, more resilient communities, one tide at a time.