Coastal flooding expected during high tide through today
BRUCE ASATO / MAY 2017
A large wave washed over a 3- to 4-foot-tall berm on the beach in front of the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Hotel, in May 2017, as tourists try to avoid getting wet, and a hotel employee paused in his cleaning sand from the area. The berm was constructed in the hope of keeping the high waves from the King Tide from washing into the hotel.
The National Weather Service has issued an alert for minor coastal flooding during afternoons for all Hawaiian isles through today.
Peak monthly high tides combined with water levels running higher than predicted will lead to minor flooding along the shoreline and low-lying coastal areas, according to forecasters.
“Coastal flooding is most likely around the peak high tide each afternoon,” said forecasters.
Impacts include the flooding of beaches that are normally dry, minor coastal erosion and saltwater inundation.
The public should avoid driving through flooded roadways, and move electronics, vehicles and other valuables to higher ground. Those with canoes and watercraft stowed on beaches should secure them ahead of coastal flooding.
