The Boston/Norton National Weather Service (NWS) office has issued a coastal flood statement for the Eastern Massachusetts coastline, including the Vineyard, for Wednesday night.
NWS anticipates up to half a foot of inundation above ground level, near shorelines and tidal waterways, from 11 pm this evening through 2 am Thursday. Any impacts will likely be very minor, with only slight coastal flooding within about an hour of high tide.
According to weather service meteorologist Kyle Peterson, they typically issues coastal flood statements once a month due to “high astral tides.”
“It’s related to the full moon,” Peterson said. During a full moon, the gravitational pull of the moon aligns with the pull of the sun, which can produce higher tides than usual.
Still, the flooding isn’t expected to be very impactful. Peterson said that because of the Vineyard’s “bright, nice sunny day,” there isn’t cause for concern.
“If we had a hurricane coming up the coast with these already high tides, that would cause big issues for flooding,” Peterson said.
NWS advises not to drive through flooded roadways.
