Published 2/07/24 at 7:05 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff
(Seaside, Oregon) – UPDATES: WAVE HEIGHT WILL BE LARGER THAN ANTICPATED HERE Increased Sneaker Wave Threat Along Oregon Coast, Washington Coast Today Through Weekend ---The last of the king tides sessions are hitting the Oregon coast tomorrow through Saturday, bringing slightly higher high tides to the region. With high tides lingering about the seven to 10-foot mark around 10 a.m. or so for many areas, and the fact true Perigean high tides happen closer to the winter solstice, the National Weather Service (NWS) doesn't think this one will be all that dramatic. (Above: Bandon before and during king tides / courtesy Oregon King Tides Project)
In fact, Washington coast's king tides project is not even listing these dates. Only Oregon's branch of the project is doing so.
Still, we may well be looking at higher-than-normal wave run-up and a chance for sneaker waves along the Oregon coastline, as combined seas are around 10 feet and there are somewhat long periods between swells. Heading to the beach should still be a cause for caution, but also some decent wave photos may well materialize, though they won't be as epic as some of the other king tides this season.
Tide tables always list tidal levels for the bay that is closest, so when they are listing numbers like 10 feet or seven feet as they are this time around, it usually means the actual beaches see a couple to a few feet less than that number. 'Wave Height' Explained Along Oregon, Washington Coast: What It Means
If a tidal event will become a mammoth one very much depends on the ocean and any storm conditions, and the NWS told Oregon Coast Beach Connection those kind of events are not lining up this time around.
In fact, the NWS said this event didn't really qualify as a king tide – actually known as a Perigean tide – in the usual sense.
See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather
While there are various choppy seas and gale advisories for the waters offshore, it's mariners that will have to deal with that, not beachgoers.
Waldport, courtesy Oregon King Tides / Jon French
According to NWS wave forecasts, offshore breakers clock in around 10 feet or so for much of the time from Brookings up through Astoria. Seven-foot high tides won't make that sizably higher. However, a long period swell that's predicted – about 14 seconds – could bring a chance of sneaker waves.
Even so, the Oregon King Tides Project is hoping you can snap some photos of all this. On the Oregon coast, submit them to www.oregonkingtides.net or the project’s Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/orkingtide/albums.
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Photo Oregon King Tides / Gleneda Borton at Bandon
Photo Oregon King Tides / Mike Decker at Rockaway Beach
Photo Oregon King Tides - Yachats
Photo Oregon King Tides / Lawrence Soto at Rockaway Beach
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