King Tides: The tidal phenomenon that could make Dorian's impact even worse
Also: Hurricane Dorian to strengthen, set to slam Florida as major Category 4 storm on Labor Day (USA Today)
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Source: CNN
King Tides: The tidal phenomenon that could make Dorian's impact even worse
By AJ Willingham and Brandon Miller, CNN
Updated 1506 GMT (2306 HKT) August 29, 2019
(CNN) — Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength and could be a Category 3 storm by the time it approaches Florida's Atlantic coast over the Labor Day weekend. But there's another phenomenon that could contribute to Dorian's destruction.
Friday marks the beginning of Florida's King Tides, a term that refers to the highest tides in any given period. These high tides follow a cycle — after all, tides are caused by the moon and follow a predictable pattern. King Tides, sometimes called Spring Tides, typically appear in the spring and fall. (Though the term "Spring Tides" refers to spring as in the action, not the season).
However, this latest round of King Tides in Florida will be strengthened by a dangerous alignment of factors: One, the moon will be especially close to the earth, an event called "perigee." (Remember, the moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical pattern, so its distance isn't always the same.) Two, fall tides in Florida are generally the highest of the year because the water is at its warmest point.
Brian McNoldy
@BMcNoldy
Anyone remember this chart I posted back in January? Anyone know what might come to visit us this weekend to coincide with those peaks centered around August 30?
#KingTides #Dorian #Miami #MiamiBeach #KingTideSeason #HurricaneSeason
Link to tweet
"The sun has baked the ocean all summer in the tropics and the ocean literally expands," says CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
A dangerous 'perfect storm'
All of these things will combine to make one massive high tide event, and with Dorian's approach, things could get seriously dangerous.
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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/29/us/dorian-path-king-tides-florida-trnd/index.html