Metro Vancouver sees high winter tides, but they're not king tide status yet
Metro Vancouverites woke up to high sea levels Wednesday morning, which submerged popular beaches in some areas. But the high tide didn’t quite crack the requirement to be named a king tide.
High tides hit coastal BC shores every winter. Although the region was on the lookout for a king tide, the water didn’t meet the wave requirement of five metres or more to be considered a king tide, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
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March 9 2019: Vancouver Spanish Banks lined with sandbags for flood mitigation. Hanbrook Design/Shutterstock
A spokesperson for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation says there are a few ways they prepare for this each year and that some years are worse than others.
“Every year, our staff prepare for king tide season by removing debris, such as washed-up logs, from shorelines and the water, adding sandbags to coastal areas to protect infrastructure against rising water levels, and temporarily reinforcing parts of the Seawall to brace against further damage.”
The king tide that was predicted to start December 18 and last until December 21 brought in winds and waves, but it fell short of what would be a king tide.
Although it looked like the waves ramped up over Christmas when mixed in with wind and rainy conditions. Vancouver’s highest astronomical tide (HAT) at 7:06 am was 4.94 metres high on December 27, according to tideforecast.com.
The high hides impact on certain areas varied, and some people took to social media to document Vancouver’s high tides after Christmas.
One user, Brad Atchison, wrote that winds that pushed water onto New Brighton Beach calmed on December 26.
King Tide this morning as the winds slowly calm down. Water levels are quite high as the Storm has been pushing water into Boundary Bay all night. Point Roberts/Tsawwassen #bcstorm #wawx #ShareYourWeather @50ShadesofVan @ensembleator @MMadryga pic.twitter.com/h5NB2GD5db
ā Brad Atchison (@Brad604) December 26, 2023
King Tide Peak this morning. New Brighton Beach in Vancouver, BC. 705am. #bcstorm #shareyourweather @MMadryga @50ShadesofVan @ensembleator @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/1fME0nkNlP
ā Brad Atchison (@Brad604) December 27, 2023
Another user took to Instagram to share what the high tides looked like at Spanish Banks Beach.
View this post on Instagram
Tideforecast.com says Vancouver’s HAT was at 4.66 metres on December 20, and the following day, it was at 4.6 metres at 12:17 pm.
Higher tides are on the way
Amrel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with ECCC, says, “Vancouver’s HAT is 4.9 metres, and the HAT rate was 5.1. So that’s just 20 centimeters shy of, you know, the typical highest type you can get.”
“The five-metre tide is kind of the highest by 10 centimeters compared to all the other dates.”
Although it may not be the highest tide of the season, Castellan says there are even higher waves in store for Vancouver in the following months.
“In January, it’s the 12th to the 17th of January, again for Vancouver. Then February in Vancouver is from the 11th to the 14th,” says Castellan.
Another king tide is predicted for BC in January and February, with waves expected to exceed five metres.
The City of Vancouver says it will monitor the weather closely.
“Staff, including park rangers, will closely monitor changing weather patterns and will close sections of the Seawall as necessary to help keep the public safe from surging tides and overhead hazards. We ask the public to respect all closures, including those that may occur without advanced notice.“
What did you think of the city’s high tide season so far?
Let us know in the comments.
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