We've had high astronomical tides combined with lower than normal atmospheric pressures here. When I went walking with a friend along Bellingham Bay, the salt water had risen so high that one of the viewing benches in Boulevard Park was surrounded by water which also had covered up a section of the South Bay Trail. By the end of our walk, the water had retreated but was still unusually high.
If you've got some time for a lengthy but lively discussion about China, Google and the Internet, read the January 17 and January 20 posts at RConversation.
