Public opinion towards human-induced climate change is polarized along partisan lines. Indeed, the preponderance of scholarly work suggests that not even direct experiences with the consequences of climate change result in durable effects on opinions or behaviors. Our analysis of over 519,000 survey respondents and nearly 30,000 precinct-level voting returns challenges this emerging consensus for one kind of climate change event: rising sea levels. We find that persistent vulnerability to rising sea levels is associated with opinions and behaviors about global warming. Coastal residents affected by sea-level rise are more likely to support climate mitigation policy. This association is strongest among those firmly attached to their communities, as opposed to those with the most to lose financially. We speculate that sea-level rise is exceptionally salient in the minds of those affected as an ever-present reminder of the inevitable toll of climate change.