Why is Florida’s coast flooding this week with barely any rain? Here’s what’s happening

Coastal flooding and beach erosion are concerns along Florida’s east coast this week, even in areas that have seen little to no rain. So what’s causing the water to rise? It’s a combination of king tides and strong winds pushing water toward shore.King tides are some of the highest naturally occurring tides of the year. They happen when the sun, moon and Earth align in a way that allows their gravitational pulls to work together, creating higher-than-normal high tides.The moon’s gravity plays a major role in creating our daily tides, but the sun’s gravity also has an effect. When these forces combine during certain alignments, water levels can rise even higher than usual.Add strong winds blowing from the ocean toward land, and that water can be pushed even farther inland. Waves can wash farther up the beach, carry away sand and spill onto coastal roads and other low-lying areas.That means flooding can happen even when skies are sunny and rain is nowhere in the forecast. The water causi