SEATTLE — A combination of a new moon and other astronomical occurrences are resulting in the lowest low tides for the remainder of the year on Friday through Sunday.
This will allow beachcombers to explore typically-submerged areas of shoreline around Puget Sound and Hood Canal as well as at the coast.
Many unusual sea creatures can be spotted and organizations like the Seattle Aquarium are holding guided beach tours this weekend.
The lowest of these low tides occurred late Friday morning but low tides Saturday and Sunday will be nearly as low.
In most locations, the lowest tides will occur from late morning through early afternoon, so planning a beach walk for an hour or two around midday will be ideal. It is not necessary to time the low tide exactly to find unusual creatures!
To be exact, however, Seattle's low tide will occur Saturday at 12:26 p.m. and Sunday at 1:14 p.m.
You can find tidal charts and graphs for other locations around the Northwest here.
Water levels will rapidly rise by mid-afternoon in advance of high tide in the early evening hours. The difference between high and low tides will also result in strong and swift currents, so boaters and others on watercraft in salt water should be vigilant for changing water conditions this weekend, particularly through narrow passages and around islands.
Tidal forces do not significantly affect our freshwater lakes, nor our rivers, away from their immediate interface with Puget Sound.
Chopper 7 was live in June over low tide beaches in western Washington. Watch that video here.
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