Whatcom officials give warning as king tide brings flooding to Sandy Point, Birch Bay
Friday’s exceptionally high tides and winds caused coastal flooding in Sandy Point and Birch Bay, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
Nearby roads were likely to be impacted throughout the afternoon Jan. 7, and drivers were told to avoid the south end of Birch Bay Drive and Sucia Drive at Sandy Point in a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The water should subside and roads are expected to be cleaned up by late afternoon, said John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.
At least a dozen homes have been impacted by the flooding, as well as the fire station at Sandy Point, he said.
Friday’s king tides — a nonscientific name for very high tides — were forecast to be between 10.5 and 11.5 feet but storm surge tide was 12 feet, the news release said.
The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a coastal flood warning for western Whatcom County until 2 p.m. Friday, as well as a wind advisory until 7 p.m. Friday for western Whatcom, western Skagit and San Juan counties, as well as the Admiralty Inlet Area.
West winds were blowing 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service at about 2 p.m. on Friday.
Friday’s flooding is not unusual, with Whatcom’s coast seeing two to three similar events each year, Gargett said. Another king tide is forecast for tomorrow, but it should be about a foot lower.
“That’s looking pretty good for tomorrow, as in no flooding,” Gargett said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 12:10 PM.
