galveston cruises in december 2023

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Cruises from Galveston

An island full of art, architecture, and boutiques.

Princess® returns to Galveston, sailing once again from this city tucked within a quaint Gulf Coast barrier island. Explore the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier and grab some local cuisine, or visit Moody Gardens with attractions and entertainment ranging from a world-class aquarium and a living rainforest to the Discovery Museum and Colonel Paddlewheel Boat, before you embark on a cruise to exciting destinations in the Western Caribbean and Mexico such as Costa Maya, Cozumel and Roatan.

Caribbean cruises

On a cruise from Galveston to the Western Caribbean, explore the beauty of unspoiled coral reefs and underwater caves as well as visit the ancient Mayan ruins throughout the region. One moment you can be walking among the vast ruins of this mighty civilization and the next delving into the culture of the Yucatán Peninsula or simply unwinding on beaches that offer some of the best snorkeling in the world.

What to Know About Cruises from Galveston

Known for its history, beaches and outdoor adventures, Galveston is truly a gem in Texas. Here’s everything you need to know about your cruise from Galveston. 

Galveston at a glance

• Language:  English
• Currency:  U.S. Dollar (USD)
• Time Zone:  Central Time (CT)
• Docking:  Your cruise from Galveston docks at the Port of Galveston located in the city’s historic downtown district.
• Attire:  Galveston’s temperatures throughout the year typically range from 48 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning it’s never too hot or too cold to spend the day at the beach.
• Transportation:  You can get around the island by Uber, Lyft, shuttle, limousine, or rental car. There are also unique transportation options such as surreys along the beachfront and horse-drawn carriages in the historic downtown district.

Things to do in Galveston

Before getting on a cruise from Galveston, start your vacation with a visit to the city’s museums, historic neighborhoods, and cultural icons. Take a walk along the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, home to family-friendly rides, games, and other attractions. Then relax on one of Galveston’s many iconic beaches and enjoy the 32-miles of coastline. Whether you are traveling with family, a group of friends or your significant other, this laid-back island has something for everyone.

Cruise Ship Sailing from Galveston

Join our Princess fleet to sail on some of the best cruises from Galveston. Find the comforts of home along with the luxuries you deserve on board any of our ships. Discover what makes our fleet so unique.

Learn more about: Regal Princess®

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EZair flight quotes are available on our cruise search result details pages.

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Let Princess pick you up from the airport and take you directly to your ship or hotel when you arrive, even if you didn't book your airfare through us. A uniformed Princess representative meets you at the airport after you've retrieved your luggage and transports you directly to your ship or hotel without you having to worry about the logistics of navigating a new city.

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Extend your cruise vacation, and simplify your travel plans with a hotel stay at the beginning or end of your cruise. With a Cruise Plus Hotel Package, a Princess representative meets you at the airport and pier, transporting you to and from your hotel. The package includes the cost of your hotel stay, transportation, luggage handling and the services of the representative.

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Galveston, TX

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Dream
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* Coming Soon

Set sail from a historic jewel in the Gulf of Mexico on Carnival cruises out of Galveston, Texas. Perched on the Gulf Coast, Galveston was a major commercial port in the late 1800s and has the restored architecture and proud history to show for it. Galveston’s long seawall stretches from beach to beach and offers gulf views the whole way. Sprinkle in a few museums, amusement parks, attractive beaches and tasty seafood restaurants, and you’ve got a great start to your cruise from Galveston.

• Shop for antiques in the historic Strand District, near where Carnival cruises from Galveston dock.
• Hear the sounds of a Central American rainforest at the gardens.
• Treat yourself to spa day at a historical hotel.
• Bike the length of the mural-adorned Seawall.

See it all from Galveston.

* Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional per person.

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Cruises from Galveston December 2023

Caribbean Weather in December

Prior to your Caribbean cruise from Galveston in December 2023, it would be wise to gain insight into the expected weather conditions for that time of year. December is a great month for a Caribbean cruise, offering a wonderful escape from the cold winter months in many parts of the world. The weather is typically warm and pleasant, with plenty of sunshine and lower humidity levels compared to the summer months. The sea temperature remains warm and inviting, making it perfect for swimming, snorkeling and other water activities.

Planning your Bahamas cruise from Galveston for December 2023?

For those intending to embark on a Bahamas cruise Galveston in December 2023, it's advisable to gather information on the prevailing weather patterns for that particular month. For the Bahamas, December is a popular month for cruising, as many people enjoy spending their holiday season on a tropical island. Popular places to visit include Nassau, Freeport, and the private islands of various cruise lines. The average air temperature is around 78-82s Fahrenheit (25-28 Celsius), and the sea temperature is around 77-81s Fahrenheit (25-27 Celsius). Rainfall is moderate, but it is not typically a rainy month.

Planning your Eastern Caribbean cruise from Galveston for December 2023?

If you're considering a Eastern Caribbean cruise departing from Galveston in December 2023, it's important to familiarize yourself with the weather conditions during that month. In the Eastern Caribbean, December is also a popular month for cruises, with destinations such as the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, and Puerto Rico being popular stops. The average air temperature is around 81-85s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius), and the sea temperature is around 80-84s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius). Rainfall is moderate, but it is not typically a rainy month.

Planning your Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston for December 2023?

For those who have chosen to embark on a Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston in December 2023, it would be beneficial to gather knowledge about the typical weather patterns during that period. In the Western Caribbean, December is a popular month for cruises, with destinations such as Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Belize being popular stops. The average air temperature is around 79-83s Fahrenheit (26-28 Celsius), and the sea temperature is around 80-84s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius). Rainfall is moderate, but it is not typically a rainy month.

Planning your Southern Caribbean cruise from Galveston for December 2023?

If you're making plans for a Southern Caribbean cruise from Galveston in December 2023, it's important to familiarize yourself with the anticipated weather conditions for that particular time. In the Southern Caribbean, December is a popular month for cruises, with destinations such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Barbados being popular stops. The average air temperature is around 82-86s Fahrenheit (28-30 Celsius), and the sea temperature is around 81-85s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius). Rainfall is low, and it is generally a sunny month.

Planning your Panama Canal cruise from Galveston for December 2023?

If a Panama Canal cruise departing from Galveston in December 2023 is on your itinerary, it's essential to understand the weather expectations for that time frame. For Panama Canal cruises, December is a popular month to cruise through this engineering marvel, with ports of call including Colon, Panama and Cartagena, Colombia. The average air temperature is around 80-84s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius), and the sea temperature is around 81-85s Fahrenheit (27-29 Celsius). Rainfall is moderate, but it is not typically a rainy month.

Galveston Cruise Schedule December 2023

Uncover the hidden gems of the Caribbean on December 2023 cruises from Galveston, carefully crafted to showcase the region's breathtaking beauty while adhering to a convenient Schedule. December is one of the best months for cruising the Caribbean, offering a great combination of warm weather, clear skies, and festive holiday atmosphere. While it falls within the hurricane season, the risk of encountering a hurricane is relatively low in December compared to the earlier months of the season. So, if you're planning a Caribbean cruise in December, you're likely to have a smooth sailing experience.

8-day Bahamas cruise from Galveston

Carnival dream, carnival cruise line.

Date: December 2, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Key West, Freeport, Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Galveston; View Itinerary

7-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Regal princess, princess cruises.

Date: December 3, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan, Galveston; View Itinerary

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

Ports of Call: Galveston, Roatan, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

5-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Carnival breeze, carnival cruise line.

Date: December 4, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

4-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Adventure of the seas, royal caribbean.

Date: December 7, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 9, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Progreso, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

6-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Date: December 10, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Costa Maya, Belize City, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 14, 2023

Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Cruise Line

Date: December 15, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Roatan, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 16, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Maya, Galveston; View Itinerary

Disney Magic, Disney Cruise Line

Date: December 17, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Progreso, Galveston; View Itinerary

10-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Ports of Call: Galveston, Montego Bay, George Town, Roatan, Belize City, Costa Maya, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 18, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Cozumel, Progreso, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 21, 2023

Date: December 22, 2023

Date: December 23, 2023

Date: December 24, 2023

Date: December 27, 2023

Ports of Call: Galveston, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Galveston; View Itinerary

11-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston

Ports of Call: Galveston, Montego Bay, George Town, Roatan, Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Galveston; View Itinerary

Date: December 28, 2023

Date: December 29, 2023

Date: December 30, 2023

Date: December 31, 2023

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7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise

Your ship harmony of the seas.

DECK DEFYING, BOREDOM DENYING

The Perfect Storm℠

Ultimate Abyss℠

Splashaway Bay℠

Escape the Rubicon

An adventure in every bite.

Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver

150 Central Park

Main Dining Room

Ahh-inducing entertainment.

Bionic Bar ®

The Fine Line

Theme Nights

Day 1: galveston, texas.

SALTWATER STALWARTS

HEAD TO THE PIER

BUILDING BLOCKS

LOCAL CUISINE

Day 2 - 3: Cruising

Typhoon℠ and Cyclone℠

FlowRider ®

Rock Climbing Wall

Day 4: roatan, honduras.

popular Shore Excursions

Amazing experiences coming soon..

MONKEY BUSINESS

CULTURE TRIP

Day 5: Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico

Cenote Scouting

Rockin' Ruins

Coral Conquest

Local Cuisine

Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico

Temple Trekking

Dive Into Adventure

Natural Thrills

Day 7: Cruising

Chops Grille℠

Chef's Table

Coastal Kitchen

Day 8: galveston, texas.

Galveston Cruise Ship Schedule For 23 December 2023

Carnival Dream - December 22, 2023

Click For Interactive Map

December 22, 2023

December 22 - 30, 2023

Carnival Dream

Carnival Cruise Lines

8 Night Eastern Caribbean

from Galveston, Texas

The December 22, 2023 cruise on the Carnival Dream departs from Galveston, Texas. On this 8 Night Eastern Caribbean sailing, the ship will visit a total of 5 different cruise port destinations, including its departure port. The Carnival Dream sets sail on a Friday (December 22, 2023) and returns on a Saturday (December 30, 2023).

The Carnival Dream was built in 2009 and is amoung Carnival's 26 ships in it's fleet. The Carnival Dream is included in the cruise line's Dream Class. In the cruise ship stats below you'll find the Carnival Dream vs all other Carnival ships.

All Itineraries

Galveston, Texas offers everything from entertainment to shopping, to over 32 miles of Gulf Coast beaches. Galveston's festivals, special events and attractions are enjoyable for islanders and tourists alike. Arts and entertainment is as much a part of the area's history as its Victorian architecture, and Galveston sparkles at night, from theater, music and dance, to reggae, rock and country.

Galveston, Texas offers everything from entertainment to shopping, to over 32 miles of Gulf Coast beaches. Galveston's festivals, special events and attractions are enjoyable for islanders and...

Take advantage of the many on board activites during your day at sea. Explore the Carnival Dream Deck Maps and make sure to view our list of Ship Venues and Features. You'll have more than enough to fill your day!

Key West has the best diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating in the continental U.S. Just a three-by-five mile Island, Key West offers a treat for the masses that flock here. Locals and tourists alike stroll down Duval Street each night to witness the Sunset Celebration, where they find hand-made souvenirs, munchies, cold drinks and a show so spectacular, only nature could have created it.

Key West has the best diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating in the continental U.S. Just a three-by-five mile Island, Key West offers a treat for the masses that flock here. Locals and tourists...

Freeport/Lucaya is located on Grand Bahama Island and is the second largest city in the Bahamas. Freeport's many beaches offer you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually swim alongside dolphins! Freeport is truly a sports-lover's paradise; besides the scuba-diving, windsurfing, and fishing, Freeport boasts first-class golf courses!

Freeport/Lucaya is located on Grand Bahama Island and is the second largest city in the Bahamas. Freeport's many beaches offer you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually swim alongside...

Princess Cays

Princess Cays is a private beach resort located on the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. It is owned by Princess Cruises and is exclusively available to their guests. The resort covers over 40 acres and features pristine white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, and a lush tropical landscape. The beach is surrounded by coral reefs, making it an ideal location for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Princess Cays is a private beach resort located on the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. It is owned by Princess Cruises and is exclusively available to their guests. The resort covers...

Nassau/Paradise Island is the capital of the Bahamas. Explore Parliament Square, the government center that dates back to the early 1800s or check out the port's vibrant night life, including more casinos, theatres, and fabulous cuisine than you could possibly fit into a short stay. During the day, there's plenty of golfing, tennis, and swimming.

Nassau/Paradise Island is the capital of the Bahamas. Explore Parliament Square, the government center that dates back to the early 1800s or check out the port's vibrant night life, including more...

Where seas are rising at alarming speed

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One of the most rapid sea level surges on Earth is besieging the American South, forcing a reckoning for coastal communities across eight U.S. states, a Washington Post analysis has found.

Recent sea level rise

2010 to 2023

At more than a dozen tide gauges spanning from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels are at least 6 inches higher than they were in 2010 — a change similar to what occurred over the previous five decades.

Scientists are documenting a barrage of impacts — ones, they say, that will confront an even larger swath of U.S. coastal communities in the coming decades — even as they try to decipher the precise causes of this recent surge.

The Gulf of Mexico has experienced twice the global average rate of sea level rise since 2010 , a Post analysis of satellite data shows. Few other places on the planet have seen similar rates of increase, such as the North Sea near the United Kingdom.

“Since 2010, it’s very abnormal and unprecedented,” said Jianjun Yin, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona who has studied the changes. While it is possible the swift rate of sea level rise could eventually taper, the higher water that has already arrived in recent years is here to stay.

“It’s irreversible,” he said.

As waters rise, Louisiana’s wetlands — the state’s natural barrier against major storms — are in a state of “drowning.” Choked septic systems are failing and threatening to contaminate waterways. Insurance companies are raising rates, limiting policies or even bailing in some places, casting uncertainty over future home values in flood-prone areas.

Roads increasingly are falling below the highest tides, leaving drivers stuck in repeated delays, or forcing them to slog through salt water to reach homes, schools, work and places of worship. In some communities, researchers and public officials fear, rising waters could periodically cut off some people from essential services such as medical aid.

The Drowning South

While much planning and money have gone toward blunting the impact of catastrophic hurricanes, experts say it is the accumulation of myriad smaller-scale impacts from rising water levels that is the newer, more insidious challenge — and the one that ultimately will become the most difficult to cope with.

“To me, here’s the story: We are preparing for the wrong disaster almost everywhere,” said Rob Young, a Western Carolina University professor and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines .

“These smaller changes will be a greater threat over time than the next hurricane, no question about it,” Young said.

In December, Charleston, S.C., saw its fourth-highest water level since measurements began in 1899. It was the first time on record that seas had been that high without a hurricane. A winter storm that coincided with the elevated ocean left dozens of streets closed. One resident drowned in her car. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged or destroyed, including some that were inundated in a cruise terminal parking lot.

The average sea level at Charleston has risen by 7 inches since 2010, four times the rate of the previous 30 years.

Jacksonville, Fla., where seas rose 6 inches in the past 14 years, recently studied its vulnerability. It found that more than a quarter of major roads have the potential to become inaccessible to emergency response vehicles amid flooding, and the number of residents who face flood risks could more than triple in coming decades.

Galveston, Tex., has experienced an extraordinary rate of sea level rise — 8 inches in 14 years. Experts say it has been exacerbated by fast-sinking land. High-tide floods have struck at least 141 times since 2015, and scientists project their frequency will grow rapidly. Officials are planning to install several huge pump stations in coming years, largely funded through federal grants. The city manager expects each pump to cost more than $60 million — a figure that could eclipse the city’s annual tax revenue.

For this analysis, The Post relied on tide gauge data, which reflects the rise in sea level and sinking of land. Satellite data, which solely measures the height of oceans, was used for global measurements.

“The phenomenon is so new, we still don’t necessarily even have the vocabulary for it,” Christopher Piecuch, a sea level scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said of the unrelenting nature of flooding confronting more and more communities. “This is something that quite literally didn’t happen two decades ago.”

But it undoubtedly is happening now. The number of high-tide floods is rapidly increasing in the region, with incidents happening five times as often as they did in 1990, said William Sweet, an oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“We’re seeing flooding in a way that we haven’t seen before,” said Sweet, who leads the agency’s high-tide flooding assessments. “That is just the statistics doing the talking.”

Projections suggest that the flooding of today will look modest compared with what lies ahead. High-tide floods in the region are expected to strike 15 times more frequently in 2050 than they did in 2020, Sweet said.

Here are glimpses at three spots along a roughly 200-mile stretch of the U.S. Gulf Coast that are already confronting this new reality:

St. Tammany

New Orleans

Mobile, Ala. , 5.9 inches of sea level rise since 2010

The inequity of rising water, ‘people of color are more likely to experience flooding’ — and the city is working to adapt..

The inequities of the past and the changing threats of the present are colliding in this centuries-old port city.

Here, as in other cities, the legacy of unequal federal housing policies dating to the 1930s, known as redlining — a discriminatory practice that in particular targeted Black Americans — left minority and low-income residents confined to certain areas. Over time, they faced the heavy burden of industrial pollution. Some of these same neighborhoods are now grappling with rising waters.

“The acknowledgment and acceptance of these historic inequities and their present-day impacts is a necessary, critical step,” city officials wrote in a recent report , adding: “[P]eople of color are more likely to experience flooding in Mobile.”

That’s partly due to relatively flat topography that allows higher water levels to travel farther inland and cause more severe flooding than in the past. The report said that many of the affected neighborhoods are low-lying and have decaying storm water systems, making them particularly vulnerable.

Rodneyka Lofton has lived in the same house on St. Emanuel Street, along a swath of Mobile’s heavily industrialized waterfront, for “a majority of my life,” she said.

“Sometimes, it makes me feel not safe,” Lofton said one morning of the floodwaters that often submerge her street and other roads that lie about a quarter-mile from the Mobile River near where it ends at Mobile Bay.

“On my street, and on the back street over there, it looks like a small lake. And a lot of cars get stuck,” said Lofton, a nursing assistant. Only a handful of residents remain here, amid rows of semitrailers, a junkyard and a large container facility.

Along some areas of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, recent research suggests, low-income and minority residents are likely to face a deepening burden as climate change fuels rising seas and more intense rainfalls.

“Flood risk is not borne equally by all,” wrote the authors of a 2022 study in the journal Nature Climate Change . In particular, they wrote, “The future increase in risk will disproportionately impact Black communities , while remaining concentrated on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.”

Near Lofton’s home, recent data suggest the burden already is increasing.

The tide gauge at the nearby Mobile State Docks has registered about 6 inches of sea level rise since 2010.

Texas Street, around the corner from Lofton’s home, was once again inundated one morning earlier this year. A car was inching through deep water.

Rain had fallen the previous night, but the flooding was destined to linger due to high seas. A coastal researcher from the University of South Alabama, Bret Webb, had recently outfitted a sensor in one of the street’s drains. It showed that the base of the drain is now frequently lower than the waters in the Mobile River, preventing drainage.

As Mobile’s chief resilience officer, Casi Callaway works to gird the city’s residents and its infrastructure for the growing stresses posed by climate change and other challenges. She said Mobile has been steadily upgrading roads and the pipes beneath them — and aims to do so near Lofton’s home.

But she said it will take at least $30 million to fix drainage problems in an area where some storm water pipes are over a century old and made of wood. The city has applied for several grants to perform the work but has not yet received funding.

“Every dollar we invest should be a dollar spent preparing for what is coming,” said Callaway, who previously headed a local environmental group.

Over a century of history and memory also lie in the path of floodwaters.

That is evident in the Old Plateau Cemetery in Africatown. The neighborhood in Mobile was founded by formerly enslaved people who arrived in 1860 on the Clotilda — the last known slave ship to leave Africa for the United States — and their descendants.

The historic burial ground dates to 1876, and appears to have been warped by sinking land and repeated flooding. Many graves now rest at angles. Some are sunken and fill regularly with rainwater, and those at the lowest-lying points are in disrepair.

While multiple factors probably play a role in the cemetery’s flooding problems, there are two ways rising seas can make them worse, said Alex Beebe, a geologist at the University of South Alabama who has studied the cemetery. As waters in Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico rise, the water flowing downhill through Africatown to the coast will have more trouble escaping, he said. A higher ocean is also causing groundwater tables to rise, making it harder for rainfall to penetrate the soil.

For Yuvonne Brazier, the flooding is just part of a bigger inequity in Africatown, which also is hemmed in by heavy industry.

Brazier’s grandfather and her sister, who died when she was young, are buried in the cemetery, along with many of the founders of the community.

But Brazier can no longer find the graves. She used to be able to sit on her mother’s front porch and see the cemetery where her loved ones were buried. That familiar landscape has grown less familiar over time.

“It’s all different now,” she said.

St. Tammany Parish, La. , 6.1 inches of sea level rise since 2010

A $5.9 billion plan to hold back water, the u.s. government wants to protect a fast-growing region from flooding. homeowners don’t agree on the plan..

Cody Bruhl looked out over the boat launch in Madisonville, which he had reached only after driving through a mile of flooded road in his pickup truck. Behind him, fish swam through a submerged parking lot.

Here on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, residents can drive 24 miles south across one of the world’s longest bridges to reach New Orleans. But they lack that city’s human-made protections against water. Now high tides had caused yet another flood, an increasingly common occurrence due to 6 inches of sea level rise in the lake — which is directly connected to the Gulf of Mexico — since 2010.

Bruhl, a 37-year-old avid duck hunter, loves this place. But he also worries about its future.

“That’s what I’m trying to get my own grip around for myself and my family,” said Bruhl, a member of the St. Tammany Levee, Drainage and Conservation District whose home flooded in 2021’s Hurricane Ida. “If we’re going to continue to live here, we’ve got to find a protection that can mitigate a lot of this, because at some point it becomes not sustainable anymore.”

It is a predicament reverberating throughout the vulnerable parish, home to about 275,000 people. A home building boom since Hurricane Katrina has replaced vast stretches of land with asphalt and other surfaces that can worsen flooding. Some communities, crisscrossed with canals, are difficult to defend. Mandeville has a sea wall and Slidell has a few inland levees. But it’s nothing like the protections engineered for New Orleans.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to change that. It has outlined plans to spend an estimated $5.9 billion protecting St. Tammany Parish alone.

Under the plans, which are years from becoming reality, Slidell would get its own nearly 19-mile-long levee and floodwall, and officials would raise parts of Interstate 10. A significant expenditure would go toward raising or flood-proofing more than 6,400 structures, mostly homes, in the parish. One of those, Bruhl said, would be his own.

The changes, the Corps has said, are aimed at mitigating repeated flood events that have “caused major disruptions, damages, and adverse economic impacts to the parish.” While the plan factors in sea level rise, it is centrally targeted at stopping hurricanes and river-driven floods — not necessarily the sunny-day flooding that happens with increased regularity.

In parts of St. Tammany, homeowners remain divided about the massive undertaking.

Donna and Kevin McDonald, who run a construction company in the Slidell area, are “on the fence” about the project, Donna said. They’re not sure it is the solution, but they certainly recognize the problem.

Part of the filming of “ Where the Crawdads Sing, ” a hit 2022 film set in North Carolina, took place in May 2021 behind their home on Bayou Liberty, where moss dangles over the dark waters from the branches of live oaks.

The film crew built a shack along the dock as part of a set that would represent the bait shop of Jumpin’, one of the film’s characters. But soon, heavy rains coincided with a days-long tidal surge in Lake Pontchartrain and the set was inundated, delaying production. The surge was the 10th-highest water level recorded at the tide gauge in New Orleans, and the highest that didn’t come from a hurricane or tropical storm.

It was just another reminder of how water — more and more of it — is altering life here.

Kevin McDonald has lived in this same house for all his 71 years. The home never flooded before 1995, he says. Not even in historic hurricanes like Camille and Betsy.

“Now,” he said, “we’ve flooded seven times.”

Pensacola, Fla. , 6.5 inches of sea level rise since 2010

Water with no place to go, the city is one of many in the region contending with outdated and overmatched infrastructure systems..

In the early morning, the rising tide in Pensacola Bay swallowed an outfall pipe that is supposed to empty water from a downtown neighborhood called the Tanyard.

Water sat near the tops of the drains along S. De Villiers Street — a telltale sign of the higher ocean creeping backward up pipes and a predicament plaguing a growing number of coastal communities.

“As far as the water’s ability to get out, it’s going to have to literally take on Pensacola Bay,” Brad Hinote, the city engineer, said as he surveyed the scene.

It wasn’t raining. But when it rains hard enough, waters swallow this street entirely.

Nearby residents know the unceasing battle better than anyone.

“The water tries to go down, but it has no place to go,” Gloria Horning said outside the home she has owned on S. De Villiers Street since 2016. “The infrastructure is so low, so old, it just explodes because it can’t take the water. And it doesn’t take but a couple of inches for that to happen every time.”

Horning has put up silt fencing along her property to try to stop the wake from the cars that drive through standing water, sending waves across her yard. A longtime environmental and social justice activist, Horning has focused on flooding issues since water first entered her home in 2016.

Horning said her home last flooded during a strong rainstorm in June. But it is the more incessant nuisance floods that keep her on edge.

“Now, when it rains, I’m getting up in the middle of the night, packing my dogs up and going,” said Horning, who has pushed for more stringent environmental and flood regulations in the city. “Because just a few inches of rain, and I’m sitting in water and sewage.”

Pensacola is hardly an outlier. As sea levels rise, experts say, there are many cities with outdated and overmatched infrastructure systems.

“Storm water flooding is getting worse and is unsustainable,” said Renee Collini, director of the Community Resilience Center at the Water Institute. “Almost all our systems are gravity fed, and they were built out a long time ago.”

Hinote, like his counterparts facing similar predicaments, has struggled with how best to solve the changes that are happening — and the even more dramatic ones scientists say are on the way.

“Everybody says, ‘Well, put in pumps.’ And that’s definitely a solution,” he said. But pumps can fail, especially in saltwater environments. And, he added, “they are exorbitantly expensive.”

Pensacola, one of the nation’s oldest cities, has offered some residents the opportunity to elevate their homes or take buyouts, Hinote said. It has considered elevating the roadway through the neighborhood, but that might only push more water toward nearby houses. And it has requested an engineering analysis to study solutions in the area — and their cost.

“It’s a difficult position to be in as a city official,” Hinote said. “My goal is to fix this situation.”

But, as he gazed over the flood-prone neighborhood , he saw no easy answers.

“When you’re up against an obstacle …” Hinote said as he looked down at an overmatched drain, “how do you overcome it?”

About this story

Jahi Chikwendiu contributed to this report.

Design and development by Emily Wright .

Photo editing by Sandra M. Stevenson and Amanda Voisard. Video editing by John Farrell . Design editing by Joseph Moore .

Editing by Anu Narayanswamy , Katie Zezima and Monica Ulmanu . Additional editing by Juliet Eilperin . Project editing by KC Schaper . Copy editing by Frances Moody.

Additional support from Jordan Melendrez, Erica Snow , Kathleen Floyd, Victoria Rossi and Ana Carano.

Methodology

The Washington Post used monthly tide gauge data for 127 gauges from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for relative mean sea levels in the United States. This is adjusted for seasonal signals for ocean temperature, currents, and other marine and atmospheric variables.

For its analysis, The Post relied on dozens of tide gauges along the coasts of the United States, measurements that are affected both by the rising ocean and slow but persistent movement of land. It also took into account satellite data for global sea level rise, which measures ocean heights independent of land movement.

Annual means for two time periods — 1980 to 2009 and 2010 to 2023 — were calculated. Only gauges that had at least eight months of data for a given year and 70 percent of the years were used. Three gauges used in this analysis are not currently in service but had sufficient data for the 1980 to 2023 time period to include in the analysis.

A linear regression model was applied to the annual means for each gauge to determine the trends for each time period and calculate an annual rate of relative mean sea level rise. Because readings from tide gauges are also influenced by the rising or sinking of land, these findings are referred to as changes in relative mean sea level.

To analyze changes in sea level around the globe, The Post used data based on satellite altimetry readings produced by NOAA. Annual means were calculated for 1993 through 2023 for the global data and for each ocean. The Post applied a linear regression model estimating the annual rates of change in mean sea level for each ocean and the global average. The data from the satellite altimeters are measures of ocean height independent of any land movement, or absolute means.

The Post is displaying data for tide gauges on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that showed significant trends in mean sea level change from 2010 to 2023.

Scientists have studied regional trends in sea level rise, including Jianjun Yin and Sönke Dangendorf , among others. The Post’s analysis builds on this body of work and compares trends for the 2010-2023 and 1980-2009 time periods to drive home the rate of acceleration in recent years. The Post also presents the trends for each tide gauge included.

More on climate change

Understanding our climate: Global warming is a real phenomenon , and weather disasters are undeniably linked to it . As temperatures rise, heat waves are more often sweeping the globe — and parts of the world are becoming too hot to survive .

What can be done? The Post is tracking a variety of climate solutions , as well as the Biden administration’s actions on environmental issues . It can feel overwhelming facing the impacts of climate change, but there are ways to cope with climate anxiety .

Inventive solutions: Some people have built off-the-grid homes from trash to stand up to a changing climate. As seas rise, others are exploring how to harness marine energy .

What about your role in climate change? Our climate coach Michael J. Coren is answering questions about environmental choices in our everyday lives. Submit yours here. You can also sign up for our Climate Coach newsletter .