King tides around Puget Sound mean potentially dangerous high water — and coming spring

The season’s third and final round of king tides will run their course around Puget Sound this weekend and next as the sun reaches its nearest point to Earth, but flooding is, thankfully, unlikely with no major storms forecast.

Scientists refer to this super-close sun situation as perihelion, which happens in early January each year, according to the University of Washington’s Sea Grant Program. King tides, or particularly high tides, occur when the moon’s typical ocean tugs play — sometimes not so nicely — with “astronomical events” that “amplify that pull.”

Along the shores of Kitsap County, crews will be busy through Monday at Point No Point Park in Hansville, across from Whidbey Island, monitoring tide gates and sandbag walls. High tides are also expected on Thurston County’s shores through Jan. 6, per the Thurston Conservation District.

Olympia and Seattle shorelines will experience high points around 9 a.m. on Sunday and 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 6.

As goes the moon, these larger-than-usual tides don’t hit everywhere at once. This season’s final bout won’t reach their peak in Pierce County waters until next week, Jan. 12-14, as predicted by UW’s king tides calendar.

On Sunday, Jan. 12, look for early-morning high-points starting at 3:50 a.m. near the Dungeness Spit, 4:45 a.m. in Port Townsend, 5:30 a.m. in Bellingham and 7:10 a.m. in Shelton. King tides will hit the coast later, by 10:30 a.m. in La Push and 11 a.m. in Westport.

The 2024-2025 king tides will ease by just after noon on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

WHAT TO DO WITH KING TIDES IN WA

The National Weather Service in Seattle doesn’t expect interior coastal flooding as the king tides make their rounds Jan. 4-6 or Jan. 12-14. Rain, of course, is forecast here and there, while temperatures will stick in the 40s during the day — potentially breaking 50 on Thursday.

Agencies advise caution nonetheless.

Pierce Conservation District noted in a Facebook post last month, ahead of December king tides, that “high waters can exacerbate marine pollution and increase risk to property.” If you live near water, take care to secure floatable materials such as kayaks and chairs — or, better yet, move them far from the shoreline “so they won’t be washed away and become marine trash.”

Although this rendition should be relatively mild, king tides can and do go haywire.

In December 2022, water levels exceeded forecasts and broke records at tide stations throughout Puget Sound. In Seattle, waves were higher than they had been in at least 40 years, as KUOW reported, while tidal gauges in Tacoma and on the Washington coast also peaked at record levels. Homes and businesses flooded, including near Gig Harbor, as restaurants and liquor stores alike had to push out knee-deep water — and wait for Mother Nature to subside.

County conservation districts offer free, non-regulatory consultations with property owners to identify potential problem areas and opportunities to prepare for shoreline or bluff erosion and coastal flooding. Solutions sometimes involve flora additions like native plants or rain gardens, and in some cases residents can access financial support for qualifying projects.

This story was originally published January 4, 2025 at 12:05 PM.