Cape Lookout (ocean) Tides Today
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Cape Lookout (ocean) runs a mean tidal range of about 3.4 ft. This month the highest water, 5.1 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 28, and the lowest, a -0.2 ft minus tide, on the morning of Oct 28.
| Low tide | 5:06 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High tide | 11:48 AM | 4.6 ft |
| Low tide | 6:26 PM | 0.5 ft |
Today on the water at Cape Lookout (ocean)
Today at Cape Lookout (ocean): high tide at 11:48 AM (4.6 ft), low tide at 5:06 AM (0.2 ft) and 6:26 PM (0.5 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is partly sunny with NE winds 24 mph, 64°F. Wind that strong can hold water in or push it out, so the real tide may run above or below these predictions. Sunrise is at 7:24 AM and sunset at 6:14 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Partly Sunny | NE 24 mph | 64°F |
| Tonight | Mostly Cloudy | NE 20 to 23 mph | 57°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Cape Lookout (ocean) is
Cape Lookout (ocean) sits at 34.6083° N, 76.5283° W on North Carolina's sounds and Outer Banks, about 5 mi south of Harkers Island, NC, in Carteret County. The station here is a subordinate tide prediction point. NOAA has no gauge in the water at this spot; its times and heights are published as offsets from a reference gauge, named below. The closest gauge measuring live water level is Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab (NOAA 8656483), 11.1 mi away, and high and low water here run on average about 53 min earlier than there. The nearest weather station is Cape Lookout, NC, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, 0.2 mi away.
The tide at Cape Lookout (ocean)
Cape Lookout (ocean) has a semidiurnal tide: two highs and two lows a day of about the same size, roughly 12 hours 25 minutes apart. This month's predictions average 1.9 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 3.9 ft, and 3.4 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.4 ft and the lower low sits 0.1 ft below the other low. For the water around it: Ocean-side tides here are semidiurnal with two highs a day of 3 to 4 ft, while the sounds behind the banks are mostly wind driven with a lunar tide of a foot or less.
About this station
- High tide reaches Cape Lookout (ocean) about 11.8 hours after the moon passes overhead. That lag is local, which is why high water does not line up with the moon.
- NOAA predicts tides here from Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier, station 8654400. High tide comes about 22 min earlier and low tide about 22 min earlier than there.
- High tide heights run about 1.15 times the reference.
Datum and source
Heights on this page are feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero NOAA's nautical charts use for soundings. A predicted 0.0 ft low is the average of the lower low each day; a minus tide is water below chart datum, and a 2 ft high means 2 ft more water than the chart shows. NOAA fixes MLLW at Cape Lookout (ocean) from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 3.9 ft above it and mean sea level 1.9 ft. These datums are controlled from NOAA's Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab, NC gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8656937, established 1978, gauge removed 1979. The tide times and heights are published as time and height offsets from its reference gauge; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them.
Tide stations near Cape Lookout (ocean)
- Cape Lookout Bight: 0.7 mi, tides about 9 min later
- Harkers Island Bridge: 7.9 mi, tides about 162 min later
- Channel Marker Lt. 59: 8.4 mi, tides about 108 min later
- Beaufort, Taylor Creek: 9.7 mi, tides about 72 min later
- Beaufort Inlet Channel Range: 10.0 mi, tides about 31 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Cape Lookout (ocean) this month: Oct 1, Oct 25, Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30. These spring highs push water up into the grass and over the oyster rock; prime for poling into flooded marsh for tailing reds.
🔻 Negative (minus) low tides at Cape Lookout (ocean) this month: Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29. These drain the flats and expose the oyster rock, prime for sight-fishing and clamming.
Best fishing times (solunar)
Major and minor solunar windows for Cape Lookout (ocean), peak feeding activity is around the moon overhead/underfoot (majors) and moonrise/moonset (minors). Score is the day's activity coefficient (0–100).
| Day | Major windows | Minor windows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today 🌖 | 4:45–6:45 AM 5:10–7:10 PM | 10:19–12:19 AM 12:17–2:17 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 5:45–7:45 AM 6:10–8:10 PM | — 1:02–3:02 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 6:41–8:41 AM 7:06–9:06 PM | 11:32–1:32 AM 1:39–3:39 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:32–9:32 AM 7:57–9:57 PM | 12:43–2:43 AM 2:10–4:10 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:20–10:20 AM 8:45–10:45 PM | 1:51–3:51 AM 2:39–4:39 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:06–11:06 AM 9:31–11:31 PM | 2:56–4:56 AM 3:06–5:06 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 9:51–11:51 AM 10:16–12:16 AM | 4:00–6:00 AM 3:33–5:33 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8656937. Solunar windows computed from the moon's position for this location. Times shown in the station's local time. Not for navigation.
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