Photo: Unc Taylor. A pickup throws a wake through tidal flooding on a residential Dania Beach street, Wednesday, Oct 28, 2026.
Fort Lauderdale King Tide Turns Dania Streets Into Rivers
Saltwater from the year's biggest king tide flooded Dania Beach streets Wednesday as a coastal flood warning stayed up for Fort Lauderdale and Broward.
DANIA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 28, 2026. Saltwater from South Florida's October king tides covered residential streets in Dania Beach on Wednesday, one day after the highest predicted tide of the year. By early afternoon, pickups were pushing wakes down flooded side streets while a utility crew ran pump hoses along a nearby roadway and a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser sat parked at a shopping plaza off the main drag.
Coastal flood warning stays up through Wednesday night
The National Weather Service in Miami kept a coastal flood warning in place for parts of coastal Broward and Miami-Dade through 8 p.m. Wednesday, warning that roads could close and that low-lying homes and businesses could take water, according to the Miami Herald. A coastal flood advisory is set to follow from 8 p.m. Wednesday through 8 p.m. Thursday, with moderate coastal flooding still expected. A high rip current risk also stayed in effect through Wednesday evening.
The warning came after widespread flooding Tuesday, when the Herald reported saltwater surged ashore from Miami to West Palm Beach, covering lanes on major roads and reaching coastal businesses and homes.
Why this king tide hit harder
The South Florida Water Management District lists Oct. 22 through Nov. 12, 2026 as a peak high tide window for the east coast, tied to the full and new moons, and named Oct. 27 as the annual maximum predicted peak. Onshore wind, ocean currents and rain can push water above the predicted levels, which is why some streets that stay dry most of the year are flooding this week.
King tide flooding is cyclical. Water tends to be highest for an hour or two on either side of high tide, then drains back through storm drains and canals as the tide falls. In Broward, high tides this week have landed in the late morning and late evening, roughly 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., per the weather service timing reported by the Herald.
What it looked like on the ground in Dania Beach
Photos taken in Dania Beach between about 12:50 and 1 p.m. Wednesday show standing water spanning both lanes of a residential street near a dead end sign, with orange cones set out along the edge. Trucks kept driving through it anyway, throwing spray toward hedges and driveways. On a main road nearby, a white utility truck sat on the shoulder with a long red hose run along the curb and through traffic cones, a common setup when crews pump water off streets and out of storm drains.
Residents in Dania Beach and neighboring Fort Lauderdale say street flooding during king tides is uneven. One block can be dry while the next holds water for hours, depending on elevation, drain condition and how soon pump trucks reach it. Low-lying neighborhoods near the water, including Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Isles and Rio Vista and streets close to the A1A corridor, are typically among the first to flood during peak tides.
Safety and what to expect next
- Do not drive through standing saltwater. It can hide potholes and curbs, and it is corrosive to brakes, wiring and the underside of a car.
- Slow down near flooded streets. Wakes from passing trucks push water toward homes and garages.
- Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth, the weather service said.
- Expect the next high tides late Wednesday night and late Thursday morning, with tides running slightly later each day through the weekend.
Forecasters expect moderate flooding to continue around high tide into Thursday before conditions ease. Updated watches, warnings and advisories are posted by the National Weather Service in Miami. A longer visitor, stay and real estate guide on king tide flooding is on the unc.wtf Fort Lauderdale blog.