King Tides Preview Future Levels

In San Francisco Bay it’s always wise to plan your movements on the water with the flow of currents and the rise and fall of tides. But that’s especially true today, as we’re currently in a cycle of extreme — or "king" — tides. They occur several times every winter around periods when the moon is full.

At the Golden Gate today, the highest high was just 6.8 feet above the mean at 11:35 a.m., with a late afternoon low (6:05 p.m.) of -1.16. As the current flooded in this morning it maxed out at 2.7 knots, and will ebb back out again this afternoon at a max ebb of 4.4 just after 4 p.m. Not a great time to be sailing to Vallejo.

Needless to say, some waterside trails and parking lots around the Central Bay will be flooded in the middle of the day today. And in the South Bay, measurements will be really extreme: A high of 9.1 (that’s no typo) is predicted today at Redwood City, down from a whopping 9.4 yesterday.

The arrival of king tides also gives us a sobering hint of what the future might look like if predictions of sea level rise become a reality. Mark your calendar: The next king tide cycle comes February 17-19. Plan to break out your galoshes that week!