California’s High Tides Set Records This Week. They’re Going to Get Higher
By Sophie Naimi · Reporting from Paris ·
Record flooding from San Francisco to Newport Beach exposes the failure of coastal defenses, proving that municipal band-aids cannot stop the physics of a warming ocean.
The water did not need a storm to enter the living rooms of Long Beach. It only needed the physics of a warming planet. This week, record-breaking high tides turned sunny days into flood emergencies from San Diego to San Francisco. The fossil fuel industry paid for this warming with decades of emissions. Now, the residents of California are paying the price. This is not a natural disaster. It is a policy failure.
The physics of the overage
The numbers are an indictment. In San Pedro, the tide hit an all-time record of 8.02 feet. Newport Beach reached a record 8.4 feet. These are not mere fluctuations. According to the Orange County Register, water levels were about 20 inches higher than tidal forecasts.
Gary Griggs, a geologist at UC Santa Cruz, points to the culprits. El Niño and Kelvin waves are pushing warm water toward the coast. This thermal expansion is a direct result of a planet on fire.
The human cost of delay
While the water rose, the city officials offered "puzzle pieces." Newport Beach Utilities Director Mark Vukojevic spoke of "low-lying areas" and "problem areas." This is the language of a manager, not a leader facing an existential crisis.
The reality is found in the ruins. Michelle Shea, a lifelong resident of Naples Island, has watched her family home face inundation. She has spent years trying to get the city's attention. She is fighting for a newer seawall while the city offers temporary fixes.
The infrastructure illusion
The state's critical arteries are failing. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that seawater flooded the Embarcadero on a sunny day. In Huntington Beach, the Pacific Coast Highway had to close. As in the North Sea flood of 1953, the water exposed the failure of existing coastal defenses.
Some will argue the cities are doing their best. Russ Boudreau noted that the city is "doing the right thing by dredging the sand." This is the strongest case for the status quo. It suggests that reactive maintenance is a viable strategy. But sand is a band-aid for a systemic collapse. You cannot dredge your way out of a warming ocean.
The San Francisco Chronicle notes that sea levels have increased by 8 inches over the past century. This is the baseline. Every "abnormal" tide is now built upon a higher floor.
The verdict of the tide
The water is telling us the truth that the press releases hide. We are entering an era of permanent loss. Municipalities will continue to rely on emergency sandbagging and temporary patches. This shifts the economic burden onto working-class homeowners like Michelle Shea. As the Pacific Coast Highway becomes a recurring blockage, the state will face a choice: relocate the road or watch it dissolve.
The physics are clear, but the money is still flowing to the wrong places. We must stop treating these floods as anomalies and start treating them as liabilities. The fossil fuel majors who profited from the warming must pay for the shoreline adaptation. If they do not, the cost will be borne by the displaced. The tides are not just rising; they are coming for the assets of those who ignored the warnings.
Sources
- Orange County Register: PCH closed in Huntington Beach, pockets of flooding as string of mega high tides continue Tuesday
- San Francisco Chronicle: Part of San Francisco just flooded on a sunny day. Here’s what it looked like
- CBS News: High tides flood Sausalito roads, strand pedestrians as scientists warn of more coastal flooding