Parts of southern Tasmania could see minor coastal flooding this weekend, with a cold front combining with spring tides to push sea levels well above normal.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a coastal hazard warning for Hobart, Dover and Dodges Ferry.
Tides are expected to rise 30 to 40 centimetres “above the normal high-tide mark during Saturday morning’s high tide”.
“Abnormally high tides which may cause minor sea water flooding of low-lying coastal areas are possible along the southeast coast,” the bureau said.
In Hobart, Saturday morning’s high tide is forecast to reach 1.67 metres at about 9am.
With the additional surge, water levels could approach two metres.
The bureau says spring tides are a normal part of the tidal cycle.
They occur when the sun and moon’s gravitational pull lines up around new and full moons, producing larger tidal ranges.
“Spring tides are very high tides and very low tides that occur during full and new moon phases, when the gravitational forces of the sun and moon combine to exert a stronger pull on the oceans,” a bureau explainer says.
