* A king tide caused by a supermoon combined with erosion from a passing hurricane is causing flooding in Palm Beach.
* Dangerous surf conditions led to one ocean rescue and several close calls for swimmers at Midtown Beach in recent days.
* Officials issued a coastal flood advisory and a high rip current risk for the area.
* The town is monitoring the coastline, which has seen significant sand loss, and plans a beach recovery project in January.
Palm Beach is feeling the effects of a powerful king tide caused by the first supermoon of the season, coupled with lingering erosion from a passing hurricane's rough surf. The combination created dangerous conditions that prompted one ocean rescue over the weekend and multiple close calls in recent days, a town lifeguard said.
Water pooled the morning of Oct. 6 along the Lake Trail around Bradley Park, an area that commonly floods during unusually high tides. At Midtown Beach, punishing waves pummeled a shoreline already depleted of sand by Hurricane Imelda, which passed by the coast days earlier.
Lifeguards responded to an incident on Oct. 5 where two children and three adults were caught in currents around a groin at Midtown Beach, Palm Beach Fire-Rescue lifeguard Tristan Cox said. The groins along that stretch of shoreline have been exposed by several days of rough surf. Groins are structures that run perpendicular to the shoreline and are designed to help prevent erosion. The groins at Midtown Beach include pieces of concrete and large rocks.
The two children were swept out by the current, and they were followed by two adults who went in to try to help them, Cox said. One adult was pushed up onto the nearby rocks, he said. No one needed medical attention, Cox added, noting that there also were several close calls with swimmers in distress over the past few days.
The high tides were forecast to be about 2 feet above normal during each high tide cycle through mid-week, the National Weather Service in Miami said. Forecasters there issued a coastal flood advisory through 8 p.m. Oct. 8, with a high rip current risk in effect through that evening.
October's full moon, called the Harvest Moon, is a supermoon, the term used to describe a large full moon that is at its closest position to Earth, called "perigee," according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The moon was set to be at its fullest Oct. 6, according to NASA.
A king tide is a higher-than-normal tide that occurs during a new or full moon, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. October's full moon is about 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than the usual full moon, NASA said.
Palm Beach's Atlantic coastline already was seeing erosion along the entirety of the island as of late last week, said Sara Gutekunst, the town's coastal coordinator.
"It was kind of expected with all of the northeasterly swells," she said, noting that those swells were caused by the passing Imelda, which dissipated over the Atlantic after passing Bermuda on Oct. 2.
Seawalls were "activated" along stretches of beach on the North End, Gutekunst said.
Red flags flew at Midtown Beach the morning of Oct. 6 to warn swimmers of the dangerous conditions. Large waves crashed onto the beach, which looked drastically different than one week prior. Much of the sand was removed back to the dune line, at points to the seawall.
"We are actively monitoring the conditions and keeping the state updated on how everything looks right now," Gutekunst said.
Town officials welcome an upcoming beach recovery project done in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin in January, she said.
The town regularly monitors beach conditions, and that monitoring has shown that sand is staying near the shore to be naturally replenished once the sea calms, Gutekunst said.
As an example, she said that the town staff observed how sand returned after the powerful Hurricane Erin caused erosion along Palm Beach's coastline in August.
People should expect flooding of areas including parks and roads that are low-lying or in areas prone to flooding, the National Weather Service said.
Conditions will be dangerous for swimmers, and there will be erosion along some beaches, forecasters said.
"Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water," the National Weather Service said.
The National Weather Service shared this advice for coastal flooding and rip currents: "If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed. Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property. Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help."
October and November typically mark the highest king tides of the season, National Weather Service senior meteorologist Chris Fisher previously told the Daily News
The next king tides are expected around the full moon from Nov. 1-10, for a new moon from Nov. 18-20 and during the full moon from Dec. 2-7, according to NOAA forecasts..
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at [email protected]. Subscribe today to support our journalism.