Keep your eye on the water this month. King tides and Kelvin waves are coming
In The Grateful Dead’s first Billboard Hot 100 single, “Uncle John’s Band,” Jerry Garcia famously sings, “Got some things to talk about, here beside the rising tide.” Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re no strangers to rising waters in the winter, with our king tides usually arriving in November and lasting through February. This year, there’s a bit more to talk about, though. King tides arrive this year on Nov. 23 and will stick around until Nov. 27. They reappear again on Dec. 22. NOAA is forecasting high tides up to 13 feet in the Puget Sound during November’s king tides. In addition to marking the arrival of Washington’s king tides, November is also our stormiest month. Forecasters are calling this week’s weather a “ storm train ,” with atmospheric rivers converging over Western Washington to bring multiple days of gusty winds and smattering rain. Nov. 8 saw huge waves bashing Washington’s coastline as a weekend windstorm knocked the power out for over 100,000 customers across Western Washington. When high winds and waves sync up with king tides, much of Washington, from the coast to the inland waters of Puget Sound, has to prepare for rising waters (think levees, bulkheads
