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King tide expected to bring big waves to the Oregon Coast this weekend

The phenomenon occurs when the moon is at the closest point to the Earth, and the Earth is at its closest point to the sun.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Earth, sun and moon are all in perfect alignment this weekend, and a king tide is expected on the Oregon Coast. 

"A king tide is a non-scientific term," said Meg Reed, coastal shores specialist at the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. "The scientific term is Perigean Spring Tide. They're naturally occurring tidal cycles that happen several times throughout the year."

The moon is at the closest point to the Earth, and the Earth is at its closest point to the sun. The phenomenon results in tides experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows. It can also cause rising waters and damage to the coastlines and infrastructure. 

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"We focus on them in the winter time because that generally coincides with winter storm events," Reed said. "[That means] big waves, wind activity and precipitation events that make the water even higher."

The summer events are typically in the middle of the night, so it's not the so-called "busy season" for viewing.

The Oregon King Tides Project is co-coordinated by the Oregon Coastal Management Program and the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. They're asking people to take pictures of the average high tide and a king tide to show the differences. Sometimes that can be more than 3 feet, so people observing should be aware of their surroundings. 

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"It's generally when there's big waves and storms, so that can be really dangerous for people," Reed said. "So it's really important to know the tides and information that's affecting that specific area, so they avoid going out on the beach."

A tide map shows the effects of a king tide can be seen as far up stream as Vancouver, Wash. on the Columbia River and near the Morrison Bridge over the Willamette River. Pictures of the king tide can be submitted here.

 

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