November marks the beginning of the tidal season. The winter months are when marine waters in Western Washington reach their highest astronomical high tides of the year.

What is a king tide?

King Tides are the highest tides that occur in each winter season when the Sun, Moon and Earth are in alignment. The Earth rotates around the Sun in an elliptical orbit and during the winter season the planet is closer to the Sun in that orbit, giving a greater gravitational pull from the Sun. When the Moon is aligned with the Sun, both produce a stronger gravitational pull on the oceans, resulting in tides.

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King tides themselves may cause some minor tidal flooding in low-lying coastal areas of western Washington. However, if a storm with lower atmospheric pressure coincides with a king tide, a higher tide anomaly may occur. And if the storm also produces strong winds, the wave action could result in greater coastal flooding damage.

At the end of October 2003, a high wind event occurred during the time of high tide. The most memorable damage occurred at Ivar’s restaurant next door to the former Mukilteo ferry terminal.

Another similar king tide event occurred on December 17, 2012. A number of locations in the coastal Puget Sound region suffered high tide and wave damage, including water and logs into homes – not a desired holiday gift under the tree.

In recent years, coastal communities such as Westport have had tidal flooding in downtown streets, even without a strong storm present. In late December 2022, a king tide combined with heavy rainfall in Olympia resulted in jellyfish floating onto downtown streets. During the same time period, lower portions of South Park in Seattle were also affected by tidal flooding.

Over the next few months, there will be several tidal periods that can be noted on forecast tide charts. For Seattle, coastal flooding typically begins at about 13.5 feet. Here are the upcoming tidal periods of at least 12.5 feet:

A dress rehearsal for a royal period coincides with Friday’s Beaver Full Moon. The highest tide on the tide tables is Friday, reaching almost 12.5 feet. Fortunately, no major storm is expected to coincide with this first tidal event near the King. Additional king tide periods this winter include:

• December 15-18
• January 1-7
• 13-16 January
• February 1-4
• March 1-3

The highest predicted winter season tides for Seattle will be on December 16th and again on February 2nd and 3rd, all at 12.9 feet. January 4th and 5th will also be close at 12.8 feet.

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For Everett, more than 12 feet of high water includes:

• November 16-19
• December 14-19
• 31 December to 5 January
• 12-16 January
• 29 January to 2 February

The season’s highest predicted tide for Everett will be December 16 at 12.8 feet.

King water events combined with stormy, windy weather are likely to occur in the future. Beachfront property owners can take steps now to avoid damage such as strengthening seawalls and other protective structures. Stay informed in advance of potential Western Washington coastal flooding by monitoring National Weather Serviceyour local NOAA weather radio station and tune in to 97.3 FM KIRO Newsradio.

Ted Buehner is a KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X