Puget Sound seeing record-low tides throughout the week
Jun 16, 2022, 12:56 PM | Updated: 2:39 pm
Mt. Baker and the "Sisters" across Bellingham Bay. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Puget Sound saw its lowest tide in more than a decade Wednesday, four feet lower than the average daily low tide.
The lowest tide arrived midday Wednesday, at -4.28 feet. On Thursday, the tide is forecast to be out to -4.11 feet at 12:58 p.m.
“The moon was full yesterday, June 14. The moon was at perigee, which is its closest point of approach to the Earth. So the low tides would be lower than normal, and the high tides would be higher than normal,” Todd Eret, a physical oceanographer for NOAA, told KIRO Newsradio. “But you’re also in June. June has a cyclical effect. There is an annual variance in the water levels along the west coast, and June tends to be a low period, the moon is at a southern declination, which again, tends to pull waters a little bit lower than normal.”
These different cycles, all occurring around the same time, are creating an unusual, but not abnormal, low water condition, according to Eret.
“And this isn’t the lowest we’re going to see,” Eret said. “The lowest tides are going to be on January 20 of 2026, at least in the Seattle port towns in that portion of the country.”
In terms of how this will affect marine life, Eret believes nothing of significant consequence will occur.
“There will be some effect, I mean, you’re talking about water levels three to six inches lower than what they’re used to. So any creatures that can’t move — clams, barnacles, oysters, etc. — will be more exposed to the air,” Eret said. “But it’s a fairly short-lived event.”
With these lower tides, expect more crowds and traffic at local beaches.
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