OLYMPIA, Wash. — Experts say although Tuesday's king tide flooding was made worse by low pressure, these conditions could become more common as sea levels rise.
The king tide, plus a low-pressure system, caused flooding along the Central and South Sound. King tides are the highest tides of the year, which usually come in December and January.
Curt Hart with the state’s Department of Ecology said king tides have increased about 9 inches over the past century.
They expect king tides and sea levels to increase even more in the future. This is why they say communities along Puget Sound and the coast need to prepare.
“The water was above the boardwalk. Actually, the boats were higher than the boardwalk,” said Dan Merscher, who works at Budd Bay Café on the boardwalk in Olympia. “Water started coming in the back door here and through the walls.”
He said this was not expected.
"I have been around this area for 37 years and I have never seen anything like this,” said Merscher.
On Tuesday, water covered their parking lot, but Wednesday things were drying out both outside and inside.
“As with all water damage, we're going to have to kind of wait and see what the extent of things are and kind of plan for the future,” said Merscher.
Planning for the future is something Hart said many areas need to do.
“What it reflects is what we're going to see and have been seeing, and that's sea level rise in our coastal areas,” said Hart of Tuesday’s king tide. “That includes Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the outer coast.”
He said greenhouse gases are causing sea levels to rise, which could be a problem in the future.
“There are about 1,400 structures and homes in Puget Sound that are at risk of coastal flooding by 2050,” said Hart.
On Tuesday, it was predicted the city of Olympia would see a high tide of 16.6 feet. It ended up being nearly 2 feet higher at 18.4 feet. The highest level prior to that was 17.99 feet, 35 years ago.
Hart said communities need to start preparing and planning for higher tides and sea levels, which Merscher and Budd Bay Café are trying to do after Tuesday’s king tide.
“The community is very strong here,” said Merscher. “They've gotten us through 32 years now and I don't see it slowing down.”
They don't want rising water to slow them down either, in a place that is so special. They plan to get insight from contractors and work with the city to protect the boardwalk area.
“We don't want to lose that because of continued flooding and projections for the future,” said Merscher.
Hart said more king tides are expected in January and that they could be as high as what many areas saw on Tuesday.
He said it is very possible we will see more of these conditions in the future.