© Nancy Lane
Billy Carey and Justin Plaza, at right, from Boston Fire Rescue swift water team haul their boat after saving a man from his flooded car on Commercial Wharf during the storm on Thursday,January 4, 2018.
Surging floodwaters in Boston that were spurred by yesterday's powerful winter storm can now be associated with a record high tide, according to the National Weather Service.
Boston recorded a high tide of 15.16 feet (4.88 feet above the astronomical tide), breaking the previous record of 15.1 feet that was recorded during the Blizzard of 1978.
Yesterday's high tide was the result of a chance encounter between a low-pressure system and the moon cycle timed just right, said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton.
"We had a very high astronomical tide, which was 12.1 feet," Frank said. "That's controlled by the moon cycle. That's something you can calculate years in advance.
Comment: Bostonians are calling for a sea wall to be built at the harbor to protect (
incorrectly) against the ravages of global warming:
The city's Climate Ready Boston report raised the possibility of building a sea wall, and City Councilor Lydia Edwards - whose district includes waterfront-heavy Charlestown, East Boston and the North End - said it's not a far-fetched idea.
"Nothing is off the table in terms of what we need to look at," Edwards said, adding that a sea wall would be a "short-term" response compared to long-term efforts to reduce greenhouse gas consumption and slow global warming.
"I don't think we needed this (the storm) to say we need to look at this seriously; this is a continued reminder that we cannot kick the can - this is directly impacting us right now," said Edwards.
She is also supporting more sustainable development on the waterfront.
But constructing a sea wall is a costly and complicated prospect - with one estimate putting the bill at $10 billion.
Such a barrier would run from the tip of Logan International Airport to South Boston. A more ambitious wall being eyed would encompass the Harbor Islands or stretch as far out as the coast of Hull.
This record high tide is being attributed by some to the recent supermoon:
Benjamin Sipprell, a meteorologist in Boston for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, told the Daily Beast that the flooding was a result of the blizzard hitting at high tide, and the high tide being higher than usual due to Wednesday's supermoon.
A supermoon is a full moon that occurs when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit. This happens about four to six times a year.
The tides are caused by the moon's orbit, and are at their highest during full moons. Supermoons bring them even higher.
'Normal tides in Boston are between 9 and 10 feet,' Sipprell explained. 'When we get tides, we get some that go up to 12 feet or more. We were forecasting 12.1 feet with this one, but with the surge, it got bumped up to 15 feet.
'It's definitely historic.'
Comment: Bostonians are calling for a sea wall to be built at the harbor to protect (incorrectly) against the ravages of global warming: This record high tide is being attributed by some to the recent supermoon: