The water was almost up to the boardwalk - about two feet or so shy of the mark.

The water was very high when I took this photo. According to www.saltwatertides.com, the high tide for Sunday August 3rd, 2008 was 15.5 feet at 8:35 pm (about 5 minutes prior to this photo being taken.)

This area is known to have tides of over 17 feet. A 17 foot tide this night easily might have been at or above street level, especially during inclement weather conditions.

If there were to be rain in a high tide situation like this, or in particular a storm with heavy rain and heavy river flow, it would push the water that much higher.

Many buildings with businesses in the area would likely suffer flooding in such a situation.

Is this a sign of impending sea level rise? I don't want to be a fear-monger. But this is a reality that the best science of the day suggests we will have to confront sooner or later. Could it be sooner rather than later? Discuss.

p.s. oh yeah, didn't a big piece of Antarctica break off recently?