King tides are expected to cause coastal flooding through the middle of the week.

King tides describe the highest high tide and lowest low tide events of the year. They occur during the new and full moon when the moon's orbit is closest to the Earth.

This month's full moon occurred on Monday, July 3. That will create king tides through Wednesday along our coast.

High tides during that time will lead to flooding in low-lying areas. Low tides could cause navigation trouble for boats.

Coastal communities are alerting residents and visitors of the danger for the holiday weekend.

Other areas that may experience coastal flooding during the king tides include Wilmington along Water Street and near the battleship, Topsail Island, Beaufort, Down East Carteret County, Manteo and N.C. Highway 12 along the Outer Banks near Rodanthe.

In an interview during king tides last summer, retired University of North Carolina ecologist Christine Voss told Spectrum News 1, "We are noticing king tides more now because many of our towns that were built several hundred or a few hundred years ago were built when sea levels were at a lower elevation.”

Voss started the North Carolina King Tides Project a few years ago to document water levels. She encourages the public to submit photos to help others visualize what normal high tides could look like in the future due to sea level rise. You can submit photos on the coastal observer app. 

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