From NOAA:
...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST NEAR TIMES OF HIGH TIDE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS... TIDES ALONG BOTH THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST HAVE BEEN RUNNING BETWEEN A HALF A FOOT TO A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. THIS IS DUE TO AN APPROACHING NEW MOON...AND THE LUNAR PERIGEE...OR WHEN THE MOON MOVES CLOSER TO THE EARTH. MINOR COASTAL FLOODING WAS REPORTED THIS MORNING IN PORTIONS OF MIAMI BEACH AS WELL AS MARCO ISLAND. WATER COVERED PORTIONS OF ROADWAYS...BUT NO ROADS WERE REPORTED AS IMPASSABLE.IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH RAIN TO RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE SERIOUS FLOODING ALONG THE COAST...ESPECIALLY IN MIAMI BEACH. THE BEST CHANCE OF RAIN AT MIAMI BEACH IS ON FRIDAY...WHEN A TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE EAST.
Lunar Perigee? Sounds fishy. Even if the flooding is related to a lunar phenomenon, it still brings to light the fact that Miami Beach is within half a foot of serious flooding that can cause problems, and disrupt daily life. What is Miami Beach’s plan to deal with the flooding? The picture below (again from Transit Miami reader Justin Falango) was taken this morning on West End Ave. Justin has been in the market for an apartment for a while now, and the flooding (now and back in June) worried him enough that he is deciding against buying on the beach. Too bad the beach has repeatedly killed Bay Link - that would go a long way to convince people like Justin who have to commute everyday from the beach that even if flooding becomes a fact of life on Miami Beach that they have a safe (and dry) way of getting to the mainland.
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Sorry, guys, but this Herald story is pretty convincing….The same phenomenon is witnessed on the road to the Bay at Matheson Hammocks Park this time of year, at least for 20 years since I’ve been in Miami…….I’d have to guess that somewhere in South Florida, someone is keeping measurements of water levels that will prove, or disprove the rising sea level theory once and for all……Why not try to find them, and report facts, rather than alarmism?
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1238651.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=6766328#Comments_Container
Dave, Lunar movements or not, there is nothing alarmist about how vulnerable our region is to climate change. The data provided by the NOAA says that lunar effects on tidal local sea level range from 6″ to 1′. If you study the photo above, the crown of the road is under a good 4″ of water. Even at the 1′ estimate, that places parts of Miami Beach at a mere 8″ above sea level. I’ve lived here my entire life, and have never seen flooding like this with no rain. I was very careful not to claim that this points to higher sea levels, only to say that Miami beach is at risk and needs to adapt. Soon the Dade County Climate Change Task Force will issue a set of recomendations that will beging to outline the dangers our region is facing. Sorry, but Miami Beach is on borrowed time. This current flooding is a presage if things to come.
It wasn’t this bad in Normandy Isle this morning, but it was just under 1 inch to overflow, so it’s not like we’re out of the (wet) woods.
I catch the bus to work at 10th and Alton. When it floods like this it’s really a pain because I have to walk a couple of extra blocks to get to a bus stop that’s not flooded. To their credit, the bus drivers have been pretty good a about letting people get on/off in non-flooded areas.
Also, I’m not exactly sure why, but this morning they had cones on Alton around the flooded areas forcing traffic into one lane.
People need to remember the “beach” was part of the bay; a low lying march of mangroves that is intended to allow fluctuations in sea level and protect the inland areas from storms and flooding. Humans decided nature was not smart enough and built upon continuously moving barrier islands. This is good urbanism in the wrong place. They are just waiting like New Orleans, sitting ducks, for the disaster. All urbanism is not good urbanism.
The lunar pull is undeniably a factor that merely contributes to greater coastal flooding in the months of May, June, July and August in particular but this is not a reason for billions of dollars of impacts. The City of Miami Beach has been “flying blind” for nearly 15 years. During the entirety of the last 9-10 years, the City of Miami Beach has acted with the highest possible degree of negligence minimally and more probably it has defrauded the citizens and residents of Miami Beach entirely. What they have done is divert funds from what would otherwise be flood control devices and infrastructure to fat cat developer projects and art shows and tennis court beutification projects. City of Miami Beach has operated with NO “Comprehensive Master Stormwater Management Plan” for the entire decade up unitl now. Now that they have one, in recent days of 2012, they are way behind on re capturing the stolen funds to execute on it. Miami Beach will continue to have multi billion dollar impacts this next time, with and without rain, because they have as a Commission, as a Mayor, as former City Manager - gotten caught up in all the corruption, ribbon cuttings, Art Basel and all the bling of South Beach. The City is so negligent that it has wiped out real estate owners, businesses, resterants and shops right and left. They are playing one massive cover up after the next.