King tides a normal but potentially disastrous phenomenon

PETALING JAYA: King tides like the one that destroyed over 100 homes in Sabah's Kampung Forest seaside village on Saturday and Sunday (Dec 24 and 25) occur when orbital alignments of the Earth, moon and Sun combine to create a powerful tidal effect.

They occur when the Earth is closest to both the moon and Sun, around the Winter and Summer solstice.

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They are a normal phenomenon and occur once or twice a year in coastal areas, causing unusually high water levels and tidal flooding.

A king tide is the highest predicted high tide of the year at a coastal location, exceeding the greatest water level reached at high tide on an average day.

This can sometimes be at least 30cm (12in) above the average high tide level for the year.

Local wind and weather patterns can also affect their intensity.

ALSO READ: King tide: Hundreds evacuated in Sandakan as their homes get washed away

The highest tide ever was 16.34m (53.6ft) tall and was recorded at Burntcoat Head Park in Canada's Bay of Fundy in 1975.

In Sabah, apart from the coastal village in Sandakan district, the phenomenon also destroyed or damaged a dozen houses at Tanjung Aru Baru in Kota Kinabalu on Dec 22 and on Saturday.

This continued on Sunday night with more residents leaving their homes as a precaution.

There were no reports of casualties.