King tides at Gig Harbor
The highest predicted waters at Gig Harbor, through 2030. Every high tide reaching 7.0 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.
What a king tide means at Gig Harbor
The highest tides of the year come over the seawalls and the low shoreline roads around the Sound — Alki, the Tacoma waterfront, the Olympia isthmus. Washington's King Tides Project asks for photographs on these dates.
A king tide with a low-pressure system and a southerly behind it is what floods; the tide alone is a spectacle rather than a problem.
King tides still to come
25–29 November 2026
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 25 NovWed | 6:15 am | 13.1 ft |
| 25 NovWed | 4:06 pm | 12.3 ft |
| 26 NovThu | 7:06 am | 13.3 ft |
| 26 NovThu | 4:53 pm | 12.0 ft |
| 27 NovFri | 7:57 am | 13.3 ft |
| 27 NovFri | 5:46 pm | 11.4 ft |
| 28 NovSat | 8:49 am | 13.2 ft |
| 28 NovSat | 6:47 pm | 10.6 ft |
| 29 NovSun | 9:40 am | 13.1 ft |
| 29 NovSun | 7:59 pm | 9.6 ft |
24–28 December 2026
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 24 DecThu | 6:16 am | 13.3 ft |
| 24 DecThu | 3:52 pm | 12.4 ft |
| 25 DecFri | 6:58 am | 13.6 ft |
| 25 DecFri | 4:48 pm | 12.0 ft |
| 26 DecSat | 7:40 am | 13.7 ft |
| 26 DecSat | 5:47 pm | 11.4 ft |
| 27 DecSun | 8:20 am | 13.7 ft |
| 27 DecSun | 6:51 pm | 10.5 ft |
| 28 DecMon | 9:00 am | 13.6 ft |
| 28 DecMon | 8:02 pm | 9.6 ft |
23–27 January 2027
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 23 JanSat | 6:29 am | 13.5 ft |
| 23 JanSat | 4:57 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 24 JanSun | 7:01 am | 13.7 ft |
| 24 JanSun | 5:57 pm | 11.3 ft |
| 25 JanMon | 7:34 am | 13.8 ft |
| 25 JanMon | 6:59 pm | 10.6 ft |
| 26 JanTue | 8:06 am | 13.7 ft |
| 26 JanTue | 8:05 pm | 9.9 ft |
| 27 JanWed | 8:39 am | 13.4 ft |
| 27 JanWed | 9:18 pm | 9.3 ft |
20–24 February 2027
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 20 FebSat | 5:17 am | 12.9 ft |
| 20 FebSat | 4:07 pm | 11.6 ft |
| 21 FebSun | 5:45 am | 13.1 ft |
| 21 FebSun | 5:05 pm | 11.5 ft |
| 22 FebMon | 6:13 am | 13.3 ft |
| 22 FebMon | 6:03 pm | 11.3 ft |
| 23 FebTue | 6:42 am | 13.2 ft |
| 23 FebTue | 7:01 pm | 10.9 ft |
| 24 FebWed | 7:13 am | 13.0 ft |
| 24 FebWed | 8:01 pm | 10.5 ft |
15–19 December 2027
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 15 DecWed | 7:13 am | 13.3 ft |
| 15 DecWed | 4:59 pm | 11.6 ft |
| 16 DecThu | 7:54 am | 13.4 ft |
| 16 DecThu | 5:57 pm | 11.1 ft |
| 17 DecFri | 8:34 am | 13.5 ft |
| 17 DecFri | 7:01 pm | 10.3 ft |
| 18 DecSat | 9:15 am | 13.4 ft |
| 18 DecSat | 8:14 pm | 9.4 ft |
| 19 DecSun | 9:55 am | 13.4 ft |
| 19 DecSun | 9:40 pm | 8.6 ft |
13–17 January 2028
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 13 JanThu | 6:43 am | 13.5 ft |
| 13 JanThu | 5:07 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 14 JanFri | 7:16 am | 13.8 ft |
| 14 JanFri | 6:07 pm | 11.3 ft |
| 15 JanSat | 7:50 am | 13.9 ft |
| 15 JanSat | 7:11 pm | 10.6 ft |
| 16 JanSun | 8:25 am | 13.9 ft |
| 16 JanSun | 8:21 pm | 9.8 ft |
| 17 JanMon | 9:01 am | 13.7 ft |
| 17 JanMon | 9:41 pm | 9.2 ft |
11–15 February 2028
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 11 FebFri | 6:00 am | 13.3 ft |
| 11 FebFri | 5:13 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 12 FebSat | 6:31 am | 13.6 ft |
| 12 FebSat | 6:13 pm | 11.5 ft |
| 13 FebSun | 7:03 am | 13.7 ft |
| 13 FebSun | 7:15 pm | 11.0 ft |
| 14 FebMon | 7:37 am | 13.5 ft |
| 14 FebMon | 8:22 pm | 10.5 ft |
| 15 FebTue | 8:13 am | 13.1 ft |
| 15 FebTue | 9:37 pm | 10.0 ft |
15–19 December 2028
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 15 DecFri | 5:39 am | 13.0 ft |
| 15 DecFri | 3:13 pm | 12.1 ft |
| 16 DecSat | 6:21 am | 13.3 ft |
| 16 DecSat | 3:59 pm | 11.7 ft |
| 17 DecSun | 7:00 am | 13.4 ft |
| 17 DecSun | 4:47 pm | 11.2 ft |
| 18 DecMon | 7:36 am | 13.3 ft |
| 18 DecMon | 5:37 pm | 10.6 ft |
| 19 DecTue | 8:09 am | 13.2 ft |
| 19 DecTue | 6:29 pm | 10.0 ft |
3–7 January 2029
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3 JanWed | 7:34 am | 13.5 ft |
| 3 JanWed | 6:17 pm | 10.8 ft |
| 4 JanThu | 8:07 am | 13.6 ft |
| 4 JanThu | 7:18 pm | 10.2 ft |
| 5 JanFri | 8:42 am | 13.7 ft |
| 5 JanFri | 8:27 pm | 9.5 ft |
| 6 JanSat | 9:18 am | 13.6 ft |
| 6 JanSat | 9:47 pm | 8.9 ft |
| 7 JanSun | 9:58 am | 13.3 ft |
| 7 JanSun | 11:27 pm | 8.8 ft |
31 January – 4 February 2029
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 31 JanWed | 6:21 am | 13.2 ft |
| 31 JanWed | 5:25 pm | 11.5 ft |
| 1 FebThu | 6:51 am | 13.5 ft |
| 1 FebThu | 6:22 pm | 11.2 ft |
| 2 FebFri | 7:23 am | 13.6 ft |
| 2 FebFri | 7:23 pm | 10.7 ft |
| 3 FebSat | 7:57 am | 13.6 ft |
| 3 FebSat | 8:30 pm | 10.2 ft |
| 4 FebSun | 8:33 am | 13.4 ft |
| 4 FebSun | 9:48 pm | 9.7 ft |
5–9 December 2029
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5 DecWed | 5:32 am | 13.0 ft |
| 5 DecWed | 3:29 pm | 12.7 ft |
| 6 DecThu | 6:20 am | 13.4 ft |
| 6 DecThu | 4:18 pm | 12.3 ft |
| 7 DecFri | 7:06 am | 13.6 ft |
| 7 DecFri | 5:10 pm | 11.7 ft |
| 8 DecSat | 7:50 am | 13.5 ft |
| 8 DecSat | 6:05 pm | 10.9 ft |
| 9 DecSun | 8:33 am | 13.4 ft |
| 9 DecSun | 7:05 pm | 10.1 ft |
4–8 January 2030
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 4 JanFri | 6:09 am | 13.3 ft |
| 4 JanFri | 4:15 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 5 JanSat | 6:45 am | 13.5 ft |
| 5 JanSat | 5:09 pm | 11.4 ft |
| 6 JanSun | 7:19 am | 13.5 ft |
| 6 JanSun | 6:04 pm | 10.8 ft |
| 7 JanMon | 7:52 am | 13.5 ft |
| 7 JanMon | 7:00 pm | 10.1 ft |
| 8 JanTue | 8:25 am | 13.3 ft |
| 8 JanTue | 8:00 pm | 9.4 ft |
26–30 November 2030
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 26 NovTue | 6:23 am | 13.2 ft |
| 26 NovTue | 4:36 pm | 12.3 ft |
| 27 NovWed | 7:12 am | 13.4 ft |
| 27 NovWed | 5:28 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 28 NovThu | 8:00 am | 13.4 ft |
| 28 NovThu | 6:25 pm | 11.1 ft |
| 29 NovFri | 8:49 am | 13.3 ft |
| 29 NovFri | 7:30 pm | 10.2 ft |
| 30 NovSat | 9:38 am | 13.2 ft |
| 30 NovSat | 8:44 pm | 9.2 ft |
25–29 December 2030
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 25 DecWed | 6:16 am | 13.4 ft |
| 25 DecWed | 4:25 pm | 12.3 ft |
| 26 DecThu | 6:57 am | 13.7 ft |
| 26 DecThu | 5:22 pm | 11.8 ft |
| 27 DecFri | 7:37 am | 13.8 ft |
| 27 DecFri | 6:22 pm | 11.1 ft |
| 28 DecSat | 8:16 am | 13.7 ft |
| 28 DecSat | 7:25 pm | 10.2 ft |
| 29 DecSun | 8:56 am | 13.5 ft |
| 29 DecSun | 8:35 pm | 9.3 ft |
King tides already past
3–7 January 2026
| Date | High water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3 JanSat | 6:09 am | 13.4 ft |
| 3 JanSat | 3:43 pm | 12.1 ft |
| 4 JanSun | 6:48 am | 13.6 ft |
| 4 JanSun | 4:39 pm | 11.7 ft |
| 5 JanMon | 7:25 am | 13.7 ft |
| 5 JanMon | 5:37 pm | 11.1 ft |
| 6 JanTue | 8:00 am | 13.6 ft |
| 6 JanTue | 6:37 pm | 10.4 ft |
| 7 JanWed | 8:34 am | 13.5 ft |
| 7 JanWed | 7:39 pm | 9.5 ft |