King Tides Swamp Streets in California, Florida

California's coast just got a preview of the soggy winter ahead. Record-setting high tides on Monday and Tuesday sent seawater over seawalls and onto roads from San Francisco to Los Angeles, as a strong El Niño combines with an especially powerful alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth, the New York Times reports. King tides, which started with the full moon earlier this week, also flooded streets and sent seawater into homes in Florida and the Carolinas, reports the AP.

In California, tide gauges logged unprecedented readings, including a preliminary record in Los Angeles Harbor and the highest October tide ever recorded in San Francisco. Meteorologists say even higher tides are likely in November and December, and warn that a significant storm on top of the king tides could bring devastating coastal flooding.

In Florida, meteorologists said this week's tides were exacerbated by factors including high pressure to the north and low pressure over the Caribbean, the AP reports. Much of the state's Atlantic coast is under flood warnings through Friday. Daytona Beach resident Gary Pooler told WKMG that the flooding is some of the worst he's seen outside of a hurricane. "My rent is going up because I got waterfront property right now," joked Pooler, who spent Tuesday helping neighbors protect their property from rising waters.