Imperial Beach Tides Today
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Imperial Beach runs a mean tidal range of about 3.6 ft. This month the highest water, 6.9 ft, comes on the morning of Nov 25, and the lowest, a -1.4 ft minus tide, on the afternoon of Nov 25.
| High tide | 5:21 AM | 4.7 ft |
| Low tide | 11:05 AM | 2.1 ft |
| High tide | 4:46 PM | 4.7 ft |
| Low tide | 11:18 PM | 0.4 ft |
Today on the water at Imperial Beach
Today at Imperial Beach: high tide at 5:21 AM (4.7 ft) and 4:46 PM (4.7 ft), low tide at 11:05 AM (2.1 ft) and 11:18 PM (0.4 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday is sunny with N winds 0 to 15 mph, 73°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 6:06 AM and sunset at 4:57 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight | Mostly Clear | E 5 mph | 58°F |
| Tuesday | Sunny | N 0 to 15 mph | 73°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Imperial Beach is
Imperial Beach sits at 32.5783° N, 117.1350° W on the California coast, at Imperial Beach, CA. 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 San Diego (Broadway) (NOAA 9410170), 9.8 mi away, and the tide here runs on nearly the same clock. The nearest weather station is Tidal Linkage, Tijuana River Reserve, CA, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, 0.5 mi away.
The tide at Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach has a mixed tide: two highs and two lows a day, but of unequal size, so one low each day drains noticeably lower than the other. This month's predictions average 1.9 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 5.4 ft, and 3.7 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.7 ft and the lower low sits 0.9 ft below the other low. For the water around it: California tides are mixed semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day of unequal height, with ranges of 4 to 7 ft.
About this station
- High tide reaches Imperial Beach about 5.0 hours after the moon passes overhead. That lag is local, which is why high water does not line up with the moon.
- Highest water on record: 7.5 ft on Dec 20, 1972.
- Lowest on record: -2.2 ft on Jan 26, 1971.
- NOAA predicts tides here from San Diego (Broadway), station 9410170. High tide comes at the same time and low tide about 3 min earlier than there.
- High tide heights run about 0.93 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 Imperial Beach from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 5.4 ft above it and mean sea level 2.7 ft. The land survey datum NAVD88, the zero on topographic maps and flood maps, is 0.2 ft above MLLW here, so a water level on this page converts to NAVD88 by subtracting that amount. These datums are controlled from NOAA's San Diego, CA gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 9410120, established 1976, 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 Imperial Beach
- South San Diego Bay: 3.9 mi, tides about 5 min later
- National City, San Diego Bay: 6.1 mi, tides about 8 min later
- San Diego (Broadway): 9.8 mi, tides at about the same time
- San Diego, Quarantine Station: 10.4 mi, tides at about the same time
- Mission Bay, Campland: 15.8 mi, tides about 3 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Imperial Beach this month: Nov 7, Nov 8, Nov 9, Nov 22, Nov 23, Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 26, Nov 27. 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 Imperial Beach this month: Nov 7, Nov 8, Nov 9, Nov 10, Nov 11, Nov 22, Nov 23, Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 26, Nov 27, Nov 28 …. 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 Imperial Beach, 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 🌗 | 6:20–8:20 AM 6:45–8:45 PM | 11:36–1:36 AM 12:54–2:54 PM | 49 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 7:08–9:08 AM 7:33–9:33 PM | 12:42–2:42 AM 1:24–3:24 PM | 62 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 7:53–9:53 AM 8:18–10:18 PM | 1:46–3:46 AM 1:52–3:52 PM | 74 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 8:38–10:38 AM 9:03–11:03 PM | 2:48–4:48 AM 2:21–4:21 PM | 84 |
| Sat Nov 7 🌘 | 9:23–11:23 AM 9:48–11:48 PM | 3:49–5:49 AM 2:51–4:51 PM | 92 |
| Sun Nov 8 🌘 | 10:10–12:10 PM 10:35–12:35 AM | 4:50–6:50 AM 3:23–5:23 PM | 97 |
| Mon Nov 9 🌑 | 10:58–12:58 PM 11:23–1:23 AM | 5:51–7:51 AM 4:00–6:00 PM | 99 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 9410120. 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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