King Tide Rules

Some of the highest tides of the year – the “king tides” – occur in the winter, when the sun and the moon align to provide an extra gravitational oomph to the Earth’s oceans. In Puget Sound, some of the highest of all the high tides happen in Olympia, due to the “bathtub effect” as water sloshes to the end of the sound.

On January 5, at a little after 9 AM, the king tide in Budd Inlet hit 16.9 feet. Even though it was held down by the high barimetric (air) pressure system currently over our region, it crept close to the the boardwalk at Percival Landing. Most of the year, high tides top out at around 14 or 15 feet.

This was not the highest on record in Olympia. The photo on the right (of the restrooms at Percival landing, with the Oyster House restaurant to the photographer’s right) was taken during a 17.6 foot tide on December 17, 2012. A king tide combined with low barometric pressure and heavy rains would likely swamp swathes of the port peninsula and downtown Olympia. In fact, it’s happened already. And that’s before the sea level rises.

Hmm, that reminds us: OP&L is planning an issue that focuses on the impacts of climate change and sea level rise on Olympia, later this year. ◙