A historical lunar event is causing ‘King Tides’ in WA. Here’s how and potential impacts
The moon is closer to Earth than it’s been in nearly 1,000 years. While the fact is a good trivia question, the moon’s closeness also affects what’s happening with the tides on our doorsteps in Puget Sound.
The last time the moon was this close was in 1030 AD, when medieval rulers with names such as King Canute and Robert the Devil made waves across Europe through sword-and-shield fighting while the Viking explorer Leif Ericson was just discovering the North American continent.
This time around, King Tides, affected by the moon’s closeness, are making the waves instead. Massive waves are crashing into the Washington coast and causing high tides from Monday. They will continue through Wednesday.
“(King Tides) essentially are higher tides than usual that usually occur during a new or full moon,” Jacob DeFlitch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, told McClatchy News.
“It’s astronomically related,” DeFlitch continued. “So essentially, in the winter, it’s kind of when the moon’s closer to the earth. And so that’s when we see a peak during the winter season.”
King Tides occur once or twice a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, but the tides this week will be especially high due to the moon’s closeness. The moon is approximately 221,561 miles away from Earth, and won’t be this close again until the year 2,368.
There was also a new moon on Jan. 21, and it won’t reach first-quarter status until Jan. 28.
The University of Washington forecasts tides as high as 16.9 feet in downtown Olympia Tuesday and Wednesday, while other locations, including Tacoma, will see tides over 13 feet. But DeFlitch said there shouldn’t be any cause for concern just yet.
King Tides are often accompanied by storm fronts and low-pressure systems, resulting in a combination of high tides and heavy rains. This combination occurred in late December when flooding occurred in Gig Harbor because of accompanying storms despite tide heights being slightly lower.
“For this event, we have an observation in Tacoma reporting predictions of about 13-and-a-half feet,” DeFlitch said. “With that said, though, because we’re under a drier, calmer pattern with high pressure, the actual tides the last 48 hours have been a little bit lower than predicted.
“So right now, we really don’t have too many concerns with coastal flooding,” he continued, “primarily because we’re kind of in this calmer pattern with high pressure.”
Preparing for King Tides
Bainbridge Prepares, a local organization focused on Bainbridge Island west of Seattle, provides tips to prepare for King Tides if you’re afraid of being impacted.
Here are some key tips about King Tides:
Move vehicles to higher ground before the storm surge.
Elevate any items in your yard or deck that could be washed away in a storm surge.
Do not drive through flooded areas as you could be washed away or your car damaged.
Pick up sandbags in preparation. Sandbags act as a barrier to divert water away from buildings.
Don’t eat food that has come into contact with floodwater.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 12:56 PM.
