FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - As we reach the final months of the year, king tides season is among us and South Florida cities say they are prepared for whatever may come their way.
King tides are higher-than-normal tides caused by full or new moon cycles when gravitational pull is greater.
In Miami Beach, crews are ensuring that their pumps across the city are primed and ready.
“It can really result in compound flooding so it’s important to be prepared,” said Amy Knowles, Chief Resiliency Officer at Miami Beach.
7News cameras captured crews hard at work checking their pump stations and check valves.
“Pump stations essentially prevent the backflow of the tidal water from coming into the street through a series of check valves and they collect the stormwater in the underground storage which is then pumped out into the waterway,” said John Norris, Director of Miami Beach Public Works.
Up north in Hollywood, crews made the rounds on Wednesday to check on their stormwater system.
“This is in preparation for king tides and our stormy season to make sure that our streets stay dry,” said Joann Hussey with the City of Hollywood. “We dread them because there is nowhere for the water to drain and then you add on top of it, an afternoon shower with another one-to-two inches of rain and it could really cause some problems.
“So we can get that debris free and flowing so that when it does rain and the flow is continuous,” said Pete Roldos, Hollywood Stormwater Superintendent.
Several king tides cycles are expected in South Florida. Our current one ends Sept. 15. A second one is expected starting Sept. 24. There will be other ones throughout the coming months with the last one for 2026 expected to be from Dec. 22-27.
Since 2022, when South Florida suffered bad floods in several areas because of strong storms, local leaders invested in resiliency to keep their streets dry during future storms.
“One-point-five billion dollars worth of projects to try and alleviate some of this flooding,” said Hussey.
“Hardening our infrastructure, raising our seawall,” said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.
Meteorologists say the highest tides expected this year are predicted to be in late October.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.