November marks the start of King Tide season. The winter months are when the marine waters of western Washington get their highest astronomical high tides of the year.

The next period of King Tides rises during the first weekend of December.

What is a King Tide?

King Tides are the highest tides that occur during each winter season when the sun, moon, and Earth are all aligned. Earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, and during the winter season, the planet is closer to the sun in that orbit, producing a greater gravitational pull from the sun. When the moon is aligned with the sun, both produce a stronger gravitational pull on the oceans, resulting in King Tides.

King Tides by themselves can cause some minor tidal overflow flooding of low-lying coastal areas of western Wa

See Full Page