No coastal flood alert is in force for Boca Raton after the last statement ended Sunday evening. The Intracoastal gauge peaked at 1.46 feet Monday, in minor flood stage.
No coastal flood alert is in force for Boca Raton. The National Weather Service in Miami’s last coastal flood statement for coastal Palm Beach County ended at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, and the weather service has issued nothing since. Tides at the Intracoastal gauge on the city’s southern edge have dropped back toward minor flood stage.
Updated Nov. 9: the coastal flood statement ended Sunday evening and no new coastal alert is active for the Boca Raton coast. The gauge table now runs to Monday, Nov. 9.
Updated Nov. 7: the weather service issued a new coastal flood statement at 3:25 p.m. Saturday, in force through Sunday evening. The gauge readings now run to Saturday, Nov. 7, and the tide times below cover Sunday to Tuesday.
Updated Nov. 5: the coastal flood advisory ended at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and was replaced by a coastal flood statement. Flash flood warnings covered Boca Raton on Monday night, Nov. 2. The no-swim advisory at four beaches was lifted Tuesday afternoon. The tide times below are new.
Monday night’s flash flooding
The weather service issued a flash flood warning for southeastern Palm Beach County and northern Broward County at 6:56 p.m. Monday. It extended the warning twice, to 10 p.m.
At 8:49 p.m., radar showed 4 to 6 inches of rain had fallen across the warned area, with 1 to 2 inches more possible, the weather service said. Those are radar estimates, not gauge totals. The warning named Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Deerfield Beach, Boca West, Sandalfoot Cove, the Hamptons at Boca Raton and the FAU campus, along with the Hillsboro Canal.
A flood watch had been in force for the area since early Sunday, Nov. 1.
What is in force now
Nothing. The weather service’s list of active alerts for coastal Palm Beach County was empty late Monday, Nov. 9. The last coastal flood statement, issued at 3:25 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, had forecast “isolated minor coastal flooding” through Sunday evening.
There is no high surf advisory or rip current statement in force for the Boca Raton coast.
An advisory is a step up from a statement, for nuisance or moderate flooding. The warning that ran from Sunday, Oct. 25, to Wednesday, Oct. 28, meant significant flooding.
How high the water went
The Intracoastal Waterway gauge at Deerfield Island Park sits at the Hillsboro Canal, on Boca Raton’s southern edge, about four miles south of downtown. These are its daily peaks on NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service, in feet above the average higher high tide. Times from Nov. 1 are standard time:
| Day | Peak | Time | Flood stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1.98 feet | 7:42 a.m. | Moderate |
| Sunday, Oct. 25 | 2.40 feet | 8:24 a.m. | Moderate |
| Monday, Oct. 26 | 2.64 feet | 9:30 a.m. | Major |
| Tuesday, Oct. 27 | 2.79 feet | 10:18 a.m. | Major |
| Wednesday, Oct. 28 | 2.71 feet | 11:06 a.m. | Major |
| Thursday, Oct. 29 | 2.39 feet | 11:54 a.m. | Moderate |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | 2.25 feet | 12:48 p.m. | Moderate |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | 1.93 feet | 2 p.m. | Moderate |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | 1.88 feet | 1:54 p.m. | Moderate |
| Monday, Nov. 2 | 1.74 feet | 2:42 p.m. | Moderate |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3 | 1.65 feet | 3:12 a.m. | Minor |
| Wednesday, Nov. 4 | 1.70 feet | 4:18 a.m. | Moderate threshold |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | 1.67 feet | 5:18 a.m. | Minor |
| Friday, Nov. 6 | 1.64 feet | 6:24 a.m. | Minor |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | 1.62 feet | 7:06 a.m. | Minor |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 1.31 feet | 7:48 a.m. | Minor |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | 1.46 feet | 8:36 a.m. | Minor |
At this gauge, minor flood stage is 1.3 feet, moderate is 1.7 feet and major is 2.5 feet.
The ocean gauges told the same story. The Lake Worth Beach gauge, about 17 miles north, peaked at 2.71 feet at 9:24 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, and 2.67 feet at 10:12 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Both are above its 2.5-foot major flood stage.
The week’s high tides
The morning tides are the higher ones. These are the predicted high tides at NOAA’s Lake Boca Raton station, just inside the inlet:
| Day | High tide | Height above mean lower low water |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 8:21 a.m. | 2.6 feet |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 8:21 p.m. | 2.2 feet |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | 9:02 a.m. | 2.6 feet |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | 9 p.m. | 2.2 feet |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10 | 9:40 a.m. | 2.6 feet |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10 | 9:37 p.m. | 2.1 feet |
These are astronomical predictions. The weather service issued no coastal alert for Monday or Tuesday.
Beaches: swimming allowed again
The city lifted its no-swim advisory at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, for:
- Spanish River Beach
- Red Reef Beach
- South Beach
- South Inlet Beach Park, which Palm Beach County runs
Florida Department of Health tests on Monday, Nov. 2, found an acceptable level of Enterococcus bacteria under state guidelines, the city said. Results are posted at FloridaHealth.gov/HealthyBeaches.
What it means for you
- Low spots can still take water near the Intracoastal and along A1A at the morning high tide, even with no alert in force: Monday’s peak was still above minor flood stage.
- On the road, do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth, the weather service said.
- If your street floods at high tide, the weather service said to “take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.”
- The beaches are open for swimming. Swim near a lifeguard. If a rip current catches you, relax and float, and swim parallel to the shoreline.
- Find your flood zone before the next storm. Our hurricane prep page links Palm Beach County’s lookup.
Road closures we can confirm go on our road construction and closures page. For outages, see our power outages page. The beach parks are covered in our parks and trails guide.
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