King tides at Smith Island

The highest predicted waters at Smith Island, through 2030. Every high tide reaching 7.00 ft above MLLW.

What counts as a king tide

There is no official definition. NOAA does not publish one, and the California King Tides Project simply means the highest predicted tides of the year. This page lists every predicted high water of 7.0 ft or more above MLLW, which on this stretch of coast picks out the handful of days each winter when the water comes up unusually far.

They happen when the moon is closest to Earth and new or full at the same time, with the Earth near its own closest approach to the sun. That alignment stacks the solar and lunar pulls together, and it lands in November, December and January far more often than not.

These are predictions of astronomical tide only. A winter storm arriving on a king tide is what causes flooding, because surge and wind can add a foot or more on top of the figures here.

King tides still to come

1–5 August 2027

Date	High water	Height
1 AugSun	12:20 am	2.14 ft
1 AugSun	12:29 pm	1.81 ft
2 AugMon	1:12 am	2.17 ft
2 AugMon	1:25 pm	1.91 ft
3 AugTue	2:02 am	2.18 ft
3 AugTue	2:20 pm	2.00 ft
4 AugWed	2:50 am	2.15 ft
4 AugWed	3:13 pm	2.06 ft
5 AugThu	3:38 am	2.10 ft
5 AugThu	4:06 pm	2.09 ft

31 August – 4 September 2027

Date	High water	Height
31 AugTue	12:52 am	2.19 ft
31 AugTue	1:12 pm	2.12 ft
1 SepWed	1:41 am	2.18 ft
1 SepWed	2:03 pm	2.20 ft
2 SepThu	2:27 am	2.14 ft
2 SepThu	2:53 pm	2.24 ft
3 SepFri	3:13 am	2.08 ft
3 SepFri	3:42 pm	2.24 ft
4 SepSat	3:59 am	2.00 ft
4 SepSat	4:31 pm	2.20 ft

28 September – 2 October 2027

Date	High water	Height
28 SepTue	12:05 pm	2.13 ft
29 SepWed	12:31 am	2.08 ft
29 SepWed	12:56 pm	2.22 ft
30 SepThu	1:18 am	2.06 ft
30 SepThu	1:45 pm	2.27 ft
1 OctFri	2:03 am	2.01 ft
1 OctFri	2:32 pm	2.27 ft
2 OctSat	2:47 am	1.95 ft
2 OctSat	3:18 pm	2.24 ft

21–25 August 2028

Date	High water	Height
21 AugMon	1:54 am	2.17 ft
21 AugMon	2:16 pm	2.17 ft
22 AugTue	2:40 am	2.16 ft
22 AugTue	3:07 pm	2.24 ft
23 AugWed	3:28 am	2.11 ft
23 AugWed	3:59 pm	2.26 ft
24 AugThu	4:16 am	2.04 ft
24 AugThu	4:53 pm	2.24 ft
25 AugFri	5:06 am	1.96 ft
25 AugFri	5:49 pm	2.18 ft

18–22 September 2028

Date	High water	Height
18 SepMon	12:42 am	2.14 ft
18 SepMon	1:07 pm	2.26 ft
19 SepTue	1:30 am	2.14 ft
19 SepTue	1:57 pm	2.34 ft
20 SepWed	2:17 am	2.11 ft
20 SepWed	2:48 pm	2.37 ft
21 SepThu	3:04 am	2.06 ft
21 SepThu	3:38 pm	2.35 ft
22 SepFri	3:53 am	2.00 ft
22 SepFri	4:30 pm	2.28 ft

16–20 October 2028

Date	High water	Height
16 OctMon	11:58 am	2.17 ft
17 OctTue	12:18 am	1.95 ft
17 OctTue	12:49 pm	2.26 ft
18 OctWed	1:06 am	1.94 ft
18 OctWed	1:39 pm	2.30 ft
19 OctThu	1:54 am	1.91 ft
19 OctThu	2:29 pm	2.29 ft
20 OctFri	2:42 am	1.87 ft
20 OctFri	3:18 pm	2.23 ft

27 April – 1 May 2029

Date	High water	Height
27 AprFri	12:20 am	2.11 ft
27 AprFri	12:37 pm	1.79 ft
28 AprSat	1:12 am	2.17 ft
28 AprSat	1:27 pm	1.79 ft
29 AprSun	2:03 am	2.20 ft
29 AprSun	2:17 pm	1.78 ft
30 AprMon	2:54 am	2.17 ft
30 AprMon	3:08 pm	1.76 ft
1 MayTue	3:45 am	2.12 ft
1 MayTue	4:00 pm	1.72 ft

9–13 September 2029

Date	High water	Height
9 SepSun	1:46 am	2.11 ft
9 SepSun	2:11 pm	2.27 ft
10 SepMon	2:31 am	2.11 ft
10 SepMon	3:01 pm	2.32 ft
11 SepTue	3:17 am	2.08 ft
11 SepTue	3:52 pm	2.33 ft
12 SepWed	4:06 am	2.03 ft
12 SepWed	4:45 pm	2.30 ft
13 SepThu	4:58 am	1.96 ft
13 SepThu	5:43 pm	2.23 ft

7–11 October 2029

Date	High water	Height
7 OctSun	12:34 am	2.01 ft
7 OctSun	1:02 pm	2.28 ft
8 OctMon	1:20 am	2.01 ft
8 OctMon	1:52 pm	2.34 ft
9 OctTue	2:07 am	2.00 ft
9 OctTue	2:42 pm	2.36 ft
10 OctWed	2:56 am	1.98 ft
10 OctWed	3:34 pm	2.33 ft
11 OctThu	3:47 am	1.93 ft
11 OctThu	4:28 pm	2.26 ft

16–20 May 2030

Date	High water	Height
16 MayThu	12:17 am	2.13 ft
16 MayThu	12:29 pm	1.75 ft
17 MayFri	1:09 am	2.19 ft
17 MayFri	1:21 pm	1.78 ft
18 MaySat	2:01 am	2.22 ft
18 MaySat	2:13 pm	1.79 ft
19 MaySun	2:53 am	2.20 ft
19 MaySun	3:07 pm	1.79 ft
20 MayMon	3:46 am	2.15 ft
20 MayMon	4:03 pm	1.79 ft

27 September – 1 October 2030

Date	High water	Height
27 SepFri	1:01 am	1.98 ft
27 SepFri	1:25 pm	2.18 ft
28 SepSat	1:42 am	2.00 ft
28 SepSat	2:09 pm	2.25 ft
29 SepSun	2:24 am	2.00 ft
29 SepSun	2:56 pm	2.29 ft
30 SepMon	3:09 am	1.98 ft
30 SepMon	3:45 pm	2.29 ft
1 OctTue	3:58 am	1.95 ft
1 OctTue	4:38 pm	2.26 ft

26–30 October 2030

Date	High water	Height
26 OctSat	12:30 am	1.81 ft
26 OctSat	1:02 pm	2.16 ft
27 OctSun	1:15 am	1.82 ft
27 OctSun	1:50 pm	2.21 ft
28 OctMon	2:02 am	1.83 ft
28 OctMon	2:39 pm	2.22 ft
29 OctTue	2:51 am	1.82 ft
29 OctTue	3:30 pm	2.20 ft
30 OctWed	3:44 am	1.80 ft
30 OctWed	4:24 pm	2.14 ft

King tides already past

31 December – 2 January 2026

Date	High water	Height
31 DecWed	10:06 pm	1.17 ft
1 JanThu	10:56 am	1.66 ft
1 JanThu	11:04 pm	1.20 ft
2 JanFri	11:51 am	1.69 ft

16–20 May 2026

Date	High water	Height
16 MaySat	12:52 am	2.14 ft
16 MaySat	1:02 pm	1.69 ft
17 MaySun	1:43 am	2.19 ft
17 MaySun	1:52 pm	1.71 ft
18 MayMon	2:35 am	2.20 ft
18 MayMon	2:45 pm	1.71 ft
19 MayTue	3:28 am	2.17 ft
19 MayTue	3:40 pm	1.71 ft
20 MayWed	4:22 am	2.10 ft
20 MayWed	4:38 pm	1.70 ft

13–17 June 2026

Date	High water	Height
13 JunSat	11:48 am	1.63 ft
14 JunSun	12:35 am	2.15 ft
14 JunSun	12:42 pm	1.66 ft
15 JunMon	1:28 am	2.18 ft
15 JunMon	1:37 pm	1.70 ft
16 JunTue	2:21 am	2.17 ft
16 JunTue	2:32 pm	1.73 ft
17 JunWed	3:14 am	2.14 ft
17 JunWed	3:29 pm	1.75 ft

27 September – 1 October 2026

Date	High water	Height
27 SepSun	1:36 am	1.94 ft
27 SepSun	2:00 pm	2.16 ft
28 SepMon	2:14 am	1.93 ft
28 SepMon	2:42 pm	2.22 ft
29 SepTue	2:54 am	1.92 ft
29 SepTue	3:27 pm	2.25 ft
30 SepWed	3:38 am	1.89 ft
30 SepWed	4:17 pm	2.24 ft
1 OctThu	4:26 am	1.85 ft
1 OctThu	5:11 pm	2.19 ft