King tide flooding in South Florida puts residents on alert from Fort Lauderdale to Miami
South Florida braced for more king tide flooding on Monday after businesses across the region were seen placing sandbags as roads were forced to be closed due to the high water over the weekend.
One of the hardest-hit areas in South Florida was Hollywood Beach in Broward, where video showed water covering the Broadwalk as vehicles tried their best to maneuver through water that was covering local roads.
"I love this boardwalk," one visitor said. "It is really nice to see it flooding like that; it was really surprising. I wouldn't expect it. I know they say that Florida is sinking into the ocean, but to see it like that."
It looked dry along the Broadwalk early Monday morning, but that was expected to change as the day went on. While there were some reports of high water, it was nowhere near as bad as what was experienced over the weekend.
The city of Hollywood spent the weekend preparing for more flooding by putting up blockades and panels in neighborhoods prone to flooding to try and prevent as much water as possible from moving inland.
Over the weekend, streets turned into rivers, with water seen up to the doors of many vehicles as they struggled to push forward through the water.
While Hollywood's new seawall in South Lake successfully kept ocean water from spilling over where panels were installed, backflowing storm drains and rising groundwater created severe flooding inland.
"Groundwater where we thought we were safe. We're not safe," said one South Lake resident who captured video of her flooded street.
Another neighbor at 12th Avenue and Washington Street recorded video showing water pouring up through the drainage system.
Ian Jarret has run Dahman Market on Hollywood Beach for 25 years. He says this past weekend's king tides were the worst he's ever seen.
Jarret put sandbags outside his shop Saturday, but says the waves were so intense they went right over them, pushing inches of water into his store.
"I knew that there was going to be king tides this weekend so I prepared bags Saturday, but it wasn't enough bags to withstand what came Saturday," Jarret said. "Saturday it was the first time in my 25 years here that I've seen that much flooding."
He was back outside his shop placing more sandbags as a precaution.
People walking along Hollywood Beach told CBS News Miami the flooding and waves were significant both Saturday and over the weekend.
As of Monday evening, water was accumulating on Arizona Street near the beach, though conditions were calmer than what the area saw over the weekend.
But it's not just Hollywood that's been experiencing the king tide flooding.
Fort Lauderdale police shut down 2 miles of beachfront along A1A due to flooding. On Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, the boats were nearly at street level.
"This is the first time we've ever seen this, and we have to walk through it," said resident Angela Gebhardt. "Yesterday we walked through it at ten in the morning, way worse than this."
Our partners at the Miami Herald report that the flooding in Broward that we saw over the weekend was the highest recorded since the tool was installed in 2018.
According to Dr. Nancy Gassman, Fort Lauderdale's chief resilience officer, Sunday morning's tide was the highest elevation recorded since NOAA established a tide gauge at Port Everglades in February 2018.
Flooding was also severe in Pompano Beach, where water reached knee-high levels on Riverside Drive near Atlantic Boulevard, prompting one resident to navigate the streets in a kayak.
CBS News Miami NEXT Weather meteorologist Dave Warren said the tides are running higher than the forecast because of the nor'easter up north, and the highest predicted tide will be on Monday morning.
And a word of caution to drivers: Even if the water is low enough to drive through without stalling, it can still damage your car.