In the simplest terms, king tide is colloquially used to describe an extremely high tide. Ordinary tides are caused by the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon; king tides happen when astronomical events amplify that pull. As the sea level rises, today's king tides could become tomorrow's everyday tides, meaning that king tides can provide valuable insights for how to prepare for our future shorelines.
The Washington King Tides program invites people to visit the shoreline during a king tide or high water event and take pictures of important waterfront locations in your community. Through uploading these pictures to the MyCoast app, they can help scientists, local planners and decision-makers understand how sea-level rise and storm surges affect our infrastructure and ecosystems. View the current king tides calendar for specific dates and times. And remember: stay safe by watching out for slippery surfaces and storm surge, and never turn your back on the ocean.
