California’s Coast on High Alert After Supermoon and Heavy Storms Trigger King Tides This Week

Two natural forces will be at play on the California coast. This year's closest supermoon, the Beaver Moon, has intensified the King tides, increasing sea level rise and flood risk in the region. The threat is doubled with a heavy storm heading in the same direction. Forecasters believe that dangerous rip currents could cause a lot of damage in Southern California and increase the risk of drowning and coastal flooding. Simultaneously, Northern California has endured torrential rain, prompting the state to dispatch emergency services in two counties. However, the southern part of the country will be spared from the heavy rain.

The National Weather Service office in Sacramento has forecasted the heaviest downpours in areas including Blue Canyon in the Tahoe National Forest, Quincy in the Plumas National Forest, and Sims in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The precipitation is expected to be two to three inches long, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento are expected to experience significantly less rainfall, ranging from 0 to 0.5 inches. Sacramento meteorologist Sara Purdue predicted that the downpour that began on Tuesday is expected to continue till  9 a.m. or 10 a.m. on Friday.

The current circumstances will cause disruptions in the day-to-day lives of the locals. Commutation will especially be affected because of water accumulation on the roads. November's full Moon, also known as the Beaver Moon, is the cause of the high tides. The Moon is nicknamed Beaver because it's that time of the year when beavers build their dams and house themselves before the winter onset freezes the ground. In the cosmic world at this time, the Moon's orbit comes closer to the Earth, appearing slightly larger in the sky than usual. “Sometimes the full Moon occupies the closest point of its orbit, and that is a so-called ‘supermoon,’” per the Griffith Observatory.

On Tuesday, the recorded distance from Earth to the Moon was 221,817 miles. The proximity between the two cosmic bodies has affected the rise of ocean tides and King tides, and it is predicted that there will be an increase in tide intensity in the upcoming days. “If you were in outer space looking at the planet, you’re going to see a slight bulge in water on one side of the planet,” Matt Mehle, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Monterey office, told SFGATE. “We’re on the side that’s going to get slightly higher water levels, and then also higher tides," he added. The peak surf caused by the combination of the storm and supermoon is set to produce huge waves: 12 to 18 feet long in the Central Coast, 8 to 12 feet in Ventura County, and 5 to 8 feet in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties.

The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory for San Francisco's shoreline. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the pre-deployment of emergency services to protect communities in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. The service will include 32 fire personnel and nine fire engines. “These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of mud and debris flows and potential flash flooding,” he said in a press release. "We’re taking early action to bring emergency resources and personnel to California communities ahead of the storm," he added.