If you haven’t had the chance to catch any king tides recently, now would be the time.
The final king tides of the season will hit the Santa Cruz County coastline this weekend from Friday through Monday. Those big tides will likely coincide with high surf. High tides are expected to be present between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. from Friday through Monday. Tides are expected to peak at 7:41 a.m. on Friday, 8:23 a.m. on Saturday and 9:07 a.m. on Sunday. Low tides will be in the afternoons, from 3:09 p.m. on Friday to 4:43 p.m. on Sunday.
King tides are extreme tides about 1 to 2 feet higher than usual caused by the gravitational pull of the earth, moon and sun. Those combined with high surf makes coastal flooding possible, with the National Weather Service saying that there is a “moderate” risk of minor flooding and dangerous beach conditions over the weekend. There is also light to moderate rain forecast throughout the weekend, totaling about a half-inch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
If you’re willing to brace the chilly, wet weather, you can participate in the California King Tides Project, too. Find a location near you, show up 30 minutes before the high tides come in, pick a spot where you can photograph the water, showing its height in relation to a prominent landmark, and upload the photos to the project’s online form. Or you can also join a king tides hike at Elkhorn Slough on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Since king tides are considered to be a preview of sea level rise expected within the coming decades, the California King Tides Project project seeks to document what king tides look like currently, so that everyone can be better prepared for impending sea level rise.
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