The highest tides of this winter (known as King Tides) are predicted this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 4-6. To get involved, all you need is a camera or a smartphone. You can upload your photos to the California King Tide Photo Project, which is a great opportunity to contribute to a long-term dataset, while helping inform residents and decision makers about the need to plan for the coming changes to our natural and built environments.Please USE EXTREME CAUTION when viewing the King Tides! Wear bright colors near roads and be very cautious of rising water, eroding shorelines, and flooded roadways. Tides may be much higher than predicted depending on wind, rain, etc. The tides are predicted to peak at the North Spit tide gage at the following times (but remember to check NOAA’s tide predictions for other locations):
10:04 a.m. on Thursday, December 4
10:55 a.m. on Friday, December 5
11:44 a.m. on Saturday, December 6
And corresponding very low tides ("minus tides") mean excellent evening tidepooling!The most useful photos are those of water levels along artificial structures like bridges to compare water levels as sea level rises. King Tides are generally a foot or so higher than the average high tide, helping us envision what monthly high tides will look like with one foot of sea level rise.For an interactive map of good locations to observe and photograph the King Tides, check out our Humboldt Bay King Tides Photo Inititiave.Recommended locations to observe high tides include:
Halvorsen Park and the F Street boardwalk in Eureka
Eureka Slough behind Target: This site has a pole with water level measurements, and a sign showing current projections of sea level rise.
Fisherman’s Statue on Woodley Island
Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
Mad River Slough Bridge on Highway 255 in Manila
Liscom Slough on Jackson Ranch Road in Arcata
Fields Landing and King Salmon.
The tides in these locations vary in both height and peak time. Check your favorite tide tables or NOAA’s tide predictions for various locations. You can check out past King Tides Photos at the California King Tides Photo Project.
The highest tides of this winter (known as King Tides) are predicted this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 4-6. To get involved, all you need is a camera or a smartphone. You can upload your photos to the California King Tide Photo Project, which is a great opportunity to contribute to a long-term dataset, while helping inform residents and decision makers about the need to plan for the coming changes to our natural and built environments.Please USE EXTREME CAUTION when viewing the King Tides! Wear bright colors near roads and be very cautious of rising water, eroding shorelines, and flooded roadways. Tides may be much higher than predicted depending on wind, rain, etc. The tides are predicted to peak at the North Spit tide gage at the following times (but remember to check NOAA’s tide predictions for other locations):
