Prepare for King Tides powered by El Nino
October 3, 2026
This autumn's king tides are expected to be as much as a half-foot higher than NOAA forecasts due to the monster El Nino building up in the eastern Pacific. Windstorms could push autumn tides even higher. The dates to watch are:
November 25 through 28, forecast 8.9 to 9.1 feet
December 9 through 12, forecast 8.8 to 8.9 feet
December 23 through 26, forecast 8.9 to 9.3 feet
These king tides will peak around daybreak, which is to say between rough 7:00 am and 9:00 am depending on where you are in the county.
On Fisherman Bay, flooding of Bayshore Road, Weeks Wetland and much of Fisherman Bay Spit begins when tides exceed +9.5 feet. A +9 tide backed by 30-40 knot southwesterly wind gusts can easily build to +9.5 to +10.5 feet.
Please take photos and share them with us if you observe unusually high breakers, flooding, or erosion damage. Photos help us better understand the patterns of flooding and erosion that may be expected in the future with just 1-2 feet of sea level rise.
November 25 through 28, forecast 8.9 to 9.1 feet
December 9 through 12, forecast 8.8 to 8.9 feet
December 23 through 26, forecast 8.9 to 9.3 feet
These king tides will peak around daybreak, which is to say between rough 7:00 am and 9:00 am depending on where you are in the county.
On Fisherman Bay, flooding of Bayshore Road, Weeks Wetland and much of Fisherman Bay Spit begins when tides exceed +9.5 feet. A +9 tide backed by 30-40 knot southwesterly wind gusts can easily build to +9.5 to +10.5 feet.
Please take photos and share them with us if you observe unusually high breakers, flooding, or erosion damage. Photos help us better understand the patterns of flooding and erosion that may be expected in the future with just 1-2 feet of sea level rise.
The king tide on December 5, 2025 was nominally +9.3 feet but ran a foot higher due to winds.