King Tides in Oregon
Living on the Oregon Coast or close to it, we’ve all heard the term King Tides. But what exactly are king tides? It’s not necessarily a scientific term, but king tide is just a term used to describe the highest tides of the year. Tides are the movement of water around the globe influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. We get our highest and lowest tides when the sun and the moon are aligned and therefore their gravitational forces are working together to influence our waterways.
King tides in Oregon typically occur in the Winter months, when ocean conditions are already a bit hectic and can be unsafe to be around. This makes it extra important that if you are visiting the coast to witness the king tides, you do it with extreme caution. Every single year there are incredibly tragic events that occur around the time of king tides, mostly of people who have come to the coast, specifically to see the event.
Sneaker waves are almost always a threat on Oregon beaches, but around these higher than average high tides, they can sweep up the beach way further than you may think. This fast moving, cold water normally carries with it heavy logs from the beach, creating another danger of tripping or falling over a moving log. This actually makes the beaches the least safe place to witness king tides. Instead consider a stable vantage point with a guardrail or fence. Be cautious that the force of the water and effect of erosion can also cause unstable bluffs to erode, so be aware of the vantage point you are standing on.
The best place to watch King Tides in Oregon, for me, is actually the estuaries or beaches! Seeing these environments overflowing into city streets is often pretty dramatic. It’s also a safer bet than being around the powerful crashing ocean waves.
For the 2023-2024 winter season we have a series of king tides every month November-February. November 25-27, 2023, December 13-15, 2023, January 11-13, 2024, February 8 - 10, 2024. If you’d like to see tide levels for certain locations, head to The Oregon King Tides Project page. According to this page, Nehalem, OR which is getting semi-notorious for having a fully flooded downtown during king tides, has an average high tide level of 6.45 feet. The Nov 26, 2023 king tide event brought in a 9.22 ft high tide to this area.
As we know in the face of climate change, times and tides are changing. Some say that today's king tides are tomorrow's sea level. In order to track the changes occurring year after year, the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition King Tide photo contest has begun as a citizen science project. They’re asking for submissions of photos during king tides, wherever you may be watching! This is a great way to help document the ever changing king tides and their effect on our coastal communities. Please consider submitting your photos, head to the above link for more details.
Happy King Tides season, PLEASE BE SAFE!!
