O.C. officials expect smaller 'king tides'

Orange County coastal communities were gearing up for more flooding Friday, although "king tides" in the area are expected to be smaller that those experienced earlier this week, officials said.

The tides, named for their size, are expected to be two-tenths of a foot smaller than those on Thursday, which peaked at 8:15 a.m., said Jim Turner, Newport Beach lifeguard battalion chief. They're expected to decrease five inches Saturday.

"The city is better prepared," Turner said. "We're hoping the impact to public and private waterfront owners is less than yesterday." There haven't been any strong winds or storms that would've made the flooding worse, he added.

Tide-related flooding closed down a lane on Newport Boulevard between 21st and 26th streets for about an hour Thursday. No property damage was reported on the peninsula or on Balboa Island, the Daily Pilot reported.

King tides happen when "the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon are in alignment," according to the California King Tides Initiative, which since 2010 has documented the tides and any changes in the state's coastline and ecosystems. The Orange County area experiences about two high tides every year.

"King tides tend to be more dramatic in the winter when storms cause increased wind and wave activity along the coast," according to the initiative's website.

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-- Adolfo Flores and Bradley Zint