North Carolina King Tides 2026 to 2027

Q: When is the next king tide in North Carolina?

The next shared king tide dates in North Carolina are Nov 25, 2026, when 7 of the state's 9 NOAA stations reach a king tide window. The highest predicted tide on those dates is at Wrightsville Beach: 5.6 ft above MLLW at 7:13 AM on November 25, 2026, +1.1 ft against mean higher high water. The station table lists each station's first window, and every tide chart page lists all of its windows.

Q: Which North Carolina station has the highest king tide this season?

Measured against its own normal high, Wrightsville Beach (NOAA station 8658163) stands highest: 5.6 ft above MLLW, which is +1.2 ft against mean higher high water there. Across the state's 9 stations the season high runs from +0.3 ft to +1.2 ft above MHHW.

Peak dates and predicted heights for the highest tides NOAA publishes at 9 North Carolina stations from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, with the National Weather Service's coastal flood products for the state's zones shown live.

Next king tide dates in North Carolina: Nov 25, 2026 (7 of 9 stations)

NOAA stations

Highest above MHHW

Wrightsville Beach: +1.2 ft

First window

Oct 1 to 2, 2026

North Carolina king tides at a glance

NOAA CO-OPS predictions, October 2026 to March 2027

NOAA stations with king tide dates

one tide chart page each

+1.2 ft

highest season peak above MHHW

Wrightsville Beach (station 8658163), 5.6 ft above MLLW

Oct 1

first king tide window opens

Duck, peak Oct 1 at 11:26 AM

of 9 stations share the widest date

Oct 27 to 28, 2026

The highest predicted tide of the October 2026 to March 2027 season in North Carolina is 5.6 ft above MLLW at Wrightsville Beach, 1.2 ft above mean higher high water. The first king tide window in the state opens Oct 1 at Duck.

Station by station

North Carolina king tide dates and heights

Every NOAA harmonic station on the North Carolina coast, with the first king tide window of the season, the season’s highest predicted tide, and how far that peak stands above mean higher high water (MHHW), the average of each day’s higher high tide at that station. Each tide chart page lists all of the station’s windows, day by day, with the moon phase and the live NWS product for its zone.

Tide chart	First king tide window	Season high	Above MHHW	Days 1 ft or more over MHHW	NWS zone
Duck	Oct 1 to 2, 2026, peak Oct 1 11:26 AM	4.7 ft above MLLW	+1.0 ft	2	NCZ203
Oregon Inlet	Oct 1 to 16, 2026, peak Oct 10 8:17 AM	1.5 ft above MLLW	+0.3 ft	0	NCZ203
Cape Hatteras	Oct 26 to 30, 2026, peak Oct 28 9:21 AM	4.5 ft above MLLW	+1.0 ft	1	NCZ205
Ocracoke	Oct 1 to 4, 2026, peak Oct 1 11:45 AM	1.6 ft above MLLW	+0.6 ft	0	NCZ204
Beaufort	Oct 9 to 14, 2026, peak Oct 11 8:51 AM	4.4 ft above MLLW	+0.9 ft	0	NCZ196
Atlantic Beach	Oct 26 to 30, 2026, peak Oct 27 8:23 AM	5.2 ft above MLLW	+1.0 ft	2	NCZ195
Wrightsville Beach	Oct 9 to 13, 2026, peak Oct 11 8:17 AM	5.6 ft above MLLW	+1.2 ft	6	NCZ108
Wilmington	Oct 6 to 13, 2026, peak Oct 11 10:42 AM	5.4 ft above MLLW	+0.8 ft	0	NCZ107
Southport	Nov 24 to 27, 2026, peak Nov 25 7:54 AM	5.7 ft above MLLW	+1.0 ft	0	NCZ110

Heights are NOAA’s predicted highs in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), station local time. Days 1 ft or more over MHHW counts the station local days from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 whose highest predicted tide reaches at least one foot above MHHW. The NWS zone is the National Weather Service public forecast zone the station’s coastal flood products are issued for.

Seawater covering a Miami residential street under a clear sky at high tide, with parked cars standing in the water and the bay visible at the end of the road — Sunny day tidal flooding on a street in Miami’s Edgewater district at the morning high tide on October 17, 2016, during that autumn’s king tides. No rain and no storm: the predicted tide alone put water in the road, which is what a peak well above MHHW looks like on a low shoreline. “Edgewater 23 Street tidal flooding October 17 2016 morning high tide 11” by B137, CC0

The calendar

Dates the North Carolina stations share

The peak dates on which the state’s stations reach their king tide windows together, with the station whose peak stands highest above its own MHHW on each. The moon column is the phase at that peak: the biggest predicted tides follow the new and full moons that fall nearest the moon’s closest approach to Earth, which is why the same dates recur along the whole coast.

Peak dates	Stations peaking then	Highest above MHHW	Moon
Oct 1, 2026	2 of 9	Duck, NC +0.7 ft 4.4 ft above MLLW, Oct 1 11:26 AM	Waning Gibbous
Oct 10 to 12, 2026	5 of 9	Wrightsville Beach, NC +0.9 ft 5.4 ft above MLLW, Oct 11 8:17 AM	New Moon
Oct 27 to 28, 2026	8 of 9	Wrightsville Beach, NC +1.2 ft 5.6 ft above MLLW, Oct 27 8:30 AM	Full Moon
Nov 25, 2026	7 of 9	Wrightsville Beach, NC +1.1 ft 5.6 ft above MLLW, Nov 25 7:13 AM	Full Moon
Dec 24, 2026	3 of 9	Southport, NC +1.0 ft 5.7 ft above MLLW, Dec 24 7:40 AM	Full Moon
Jan 22, 2027	1 of 9	Southport, NC +0.9 ft 5.6 ft above MLLW, Jan 22 7:26 AM	Full Moon

Full moon shining through broken cloud over a dark sea, its light reflected in a band across the water — A full moon over the sea at Coruripe, Brazil; the physics is the same on every coast. Full and new moons bring the spring tides, and the ones that fall nearest the moon’s perigee bring the king tides, which is why the moon column beside each peak reads Full Moon or New Moon so often. “Full Moon Over the Sea” by Alfredo J G A Borba, CC BY-SA 4.0

Live from the National Weather Service

Coastal flood products for the North Carolina coast right now

The National Weather Service issues Coastal Flood Advisories, Watches, Warnings and Statements for each public forecast zone when it expects water over land. The North Carolina stations on this page sit in 8 NWS zones (NCZ203, NCZ205, NCZ204, NCZ196, NCZ195, NCZ108, NCZ107, NCZ110), and any product active for them is shown here as NWS issued it.

Checking the National Weather Service for active coastal flood products for the North Carolina coast (8 NWS zones)…

The heights are NOAA’s predictions of the astronomical tide. Wind, barometric pressure and river flow raise or lower the real water level on the day, and the National Weather Service’s coastal flood product for the zone is the authority on whether water is expected over land.

A city street in Miami flooded at night by tidal water during a king tide, with headlights reflecting off the water — Tidal flooding in Miami during the October 2016 king tides. The predicted tide set the date; rain and onshore wind set the depth, which is the part the NWS product above describes. “Miami tidal flooding with rain at high tide during king tides 02” — B137 — CC0

Two white tide staffs marked in feet with a Tide Level sign between them, standing beside a snow covered floating dock on a calm channel below cloud draped mountains in Juneau, Alaska — A tide level gauge on a wharf ramp in Juneau, Alaska, marked in feet. Every height on these pages is read against datums built from decades of water level records at gauges like this one: MLLW is the zero, and MHHW is the average of each day’s higher high tide. “Tide Level Gauge 472” by Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0

Common questions

North Carolina king tides FAQ

When is the next king tide in North Carolina?

Which North Carolina station has the highest king tide this season?

Does a king tide mean coastal flooding in North Carolina?

A king tide is a predicted height of the astronomical tide. Whether water reaches a road, a marina car park or a marsh trail in North Carolina depends on wind, barometric pressure, river flow and the shape of the shore on the day. The National Weather Service issues Coastal Flood Advisories, Watches, Warnings and Statements for each coastal zone when it expects water over land, and the live line on this page and on every North Carolina station page shows any product active for the state's zones right now, named and linked.

How much higher is a king tide than a normal high tide in North Carolina?

Mean higher high water (MHHW) is NOAA's long term average of the higher of each day's two high tides at a station, so "above MHHW" says how far a peak stands above an ordinary day's higher high. In North Carolina this season that figure runs from +0.3 ft to +1.2 ft across the 9 stations, with the largest at Wrightsville Beach. Raw heights above MLLW differ far more from station to station because tide ranges differ, which is why MHHW is the fairer comparison.

Where do the North Carolina king tide dates come from?

From NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), which publishes harmonic tide predictions for the 9 North Carolina stations listed here. The dates are the highest predicted high tides in those predictions for October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027; a window is the run of consecutive days whose highest tide stays within 0.3 ft of the peak, and heights above MHHW use the mean higher high water datum NOAA publishes for each station. The moon phase beside each peak is computed for that instant.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service: “A King Tide is a non-scientific term people often use to describe exceptionally high tides.” On these pages the term means the highest predicted tides NOAA publishes for a station from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.Source: oceanservice.noaa.gov

Beyond North Carolina

More coast planning

North Carolina tide chartsSeven day tide tables and today's curve for every NOAA station on the North Carolina coast.North Carolina beach conditionsLive NWS rip current and surf zone forecasts for this coast, reproduced as issued.North Carolina hurricane seasonNOAA's landfall record for North Carolina by month, and the current season's outlook.

King tides in other states

Tide heights are NOAA CO-OPS harmonic predictions (https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/api/prod/datagetter) for October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, reproduced as published, with MHHW and MLLW from the CO-OPS station datums; NWS zones from api.weather.gov; data built 2026-09-19. NOAA and NWS material is US government work in the public domain, attributed as NOS requests. NOAA’s published disclaimer applies to every prediction shown: “These data are based upon the latest information available as of the date of your request, and may differ from the published tide tables.” All coasts: US king tides.
Hero image: “Miami tidal flooding with rain at high tide during king tides 02” — B137 — CC0