Vancouver could see higher tides in January, expert says

Thursday saw another king tide hit Vancouver’s shores, but one expert says there could be even higher tides in January.

Around 11 a.m., the high tide hit the Lower Mainland and was 5 meters above sea level.

“We’re not yet at the perfect storm…Things could have been worse this week than they already were,” Richard Dewey, associate director for science with Ocean Networks Canada, said.

This comes as heavy rainfall, melting snow, and a king tide resulted in flooding in some low-lying areas around Metro Vancouver on Tuesday.

“In addition to the tides, this time of year we are also subject to storms and stronger weather. So the storms contribute in a number of ways to elevated sea level,” he explained.

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Vancouver’s shores are getting battered by some of the highest tides of the year, with large parts of Stanley Park’s seawall left closed earlier this week because of the flooding.

Dewey says when the sun and the moon are aligned, their gravitational pulls work together, making the tides especially high during the winter and summer solstices.

“At this time of the year, near the solstices, and now we just passed the winter solstice, the sun’s contribution at high latitudes is increased, so we have the largest tides of the year near the solstices,” Dewey said.

Good news: the #StanleyPark seawall is now fully reopened following this week’s king tides. Staff are still addressing some minor debris from Tuesday’s flooding, but otherwise pathways are in good shape.

— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) December 29, 2022

“We get these king tides at this time of year. We get elevated sea level from the weather, and then you get the waves on top of that,” he said.

“They’re at the top of the breakwaters, the top of the dikes, and they’re really smashing in and causing extra damage because of the high tides,” he explained.

In a statement from Amit Gandha with the Vancouver Park Board, he says the work done to fix damage from 2021’s major storm helped contain the new damage that happened this week.

But Dewey says the sea level is rising, and it will take more than repairs to keep Vancouver’s seawall above the water.

“The infrastructure has to be built for possibly even five or six decades into the future. Now, that could be as much as maybe half a meter higher than you would build for what you’ve experienced over the last few decades…You either pay the piper now and make expensive infrastructure, or we face the consequences and we have to close the seawall,” he said.

He says another high tide is set to come on Jan. 9, and if that’s combined with a storm there could be some high levels again.

“Look out, we’re going to have these king tides again,” he said.

With files from Robyn Crawford