Higher-than-normal tides has led to flooding in low-lying coastal areas, such as North Sound Estates.
Roads and yards along the canal-side development in Savannah have been inundated with water from the North Sound during high tide in the mornings and evenings, as these ‘king tides’ wash inland.
King tides, or ‘perigean spring tides’, are affected by the proximity and alignment of the sun and moon to Earth. When the moon is new or full, and closest to Earth, the effects on tides are intensified.
Tim Austin, deputy director of the Department of Environment, which tracks these high tidal events, says the recent king tides being seen locally could be the result of a number of other contributing factors.
“I think it’s a mixture of a lot of things, including rising sea levels, to make it an increasing problem,” he said. “It only takes a few millimetres to make a big difference.”
The DoE has a King Tide WhatsApp group, on which residents can report instances of very high tides.
Austin said the peak of these king tides are likely on Wednesday and Thursday this week, 19 and 20 April, although another, larger high-tide event may occur in May.
While king tides have been annual – or more often – occurrences, their impact could be felt more in Grand Cayman, one of the world’s lowest-lying islands, as more developments are built nearer to the coast, and thus the impact of the tides is seen on streets and homes.
Residents in North Sound Estates, commenting on a neighbourhood chat group, say that they have been seeing flooded roads and high tides for decades, but as more development occurs, this changes how and where the water flows.
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