Ketchikan Tides Today
Open this station in TidalMapLive water level, free for 7 days
Ketchikan runs a mean tidal range of about 12.5 ft. This month the highest water, 19.0 ft, comes on the afternoon of Nov 25, and the lowest, a -3.6 ft minus tide, on the evening of Nov 25.
| Low tide | 1:23 AM | 1.7 ft |
| High tide | 8:05 AM | 13.7 ft |
| Low tide | 2:12 PM | 4.4 ft |
| High tide | 8:12 PM | 13.1 ft |
Today on the water at Ketchikan
Today at Ketchikan: high tide at 8:05 AM (13.7 ft) and 8:12 PM (13.1 ft), low tide at 1:23 AM (1.7 ft) and 2:12 PM (4.4 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday is chance light rain with SE winds 10 to 15 mph, 50°F. Wind that strong can hold water in or push it out, so the real tide may run above or below these predictions. The water at the gauge reads 48°F. Sunrise is at 6:53 AM and sunset at 4:06 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight | Mostly Cloudy | SE 5 mph | 38°F |
| Tuesday | Chance Light Rain | SE 10 to 15 mph | 50°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Ketchikan is
Ketchikan sits at 55.3319° N, 131.6261° W on Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage, at Ketchikan, AK, in Ketchikan Gateway. The station here is a live gauge in NOAA's National Water Level Observation Network, the reference network the rest of the coast's tide predictions are tied to. It has been in NOAA's records since 1918. The nearest weather station is Ketchikan, AK, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, right at this station.
The tide at Ketchikan
Ketchikan 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 15.4 ft, and 13.0 ft between the average high and the average low, a very large tide, among the biggest in the United States. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.9 ft and the lower low sits 1.6 ft below the other low. For the water around it: Inside Passage tides are large and mixed semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day with ranges of 12 to 20 ft that drive fast currents in the narrows.
About this station
- High tide reaches Ketchikan about 9.4 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: 21.3 ft on Dec 2, 1967.
- Lowest on record: -5.3 ft on Dec 14, 2008.
- The National Weather Service counts 21.0 ft as minor flooding here, 22.0 ft as moderate and 23.0 ft as major.
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 Ketchikan from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 15.4 ft above it and mean sea level 8.1 ft. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 9450460, a National Water Level Observation Network gauge, established 1918. The tide times and heights are NOAA's official harmonic predictions for this station; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them. The observed line is the gauge's own six-minute water level feed.
Tide stations near Ketchikan
- Ward Cove: 6.1 mi, tides about 4 min earlier
- Vallenar Point: 10.9 mi, tides about 4 min earlier
- Custom House Cove, Mary Island: 22.7 mi, tides about 3 min earlier
- Menefee Anch., Prince of Wales Island: 26.0 mi, tides at about the same time
- Niblack Anchorage, Moira Sound: 26.7 mi, tides about 6 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Ketchikan this month: Nov 7, Nov 8, Nov 9, Nov 22, Nov 23, Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 26, Nov 27, Nov 28. 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 Ketchikan this month: Nov 6, Nov 7, Nov 8, Nov 9, Nov 10, Nov 11, Nov 22, Nov 23, Nov 24, Nov 25, Nov 26, Nov 27 …. 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 Ketchikan, 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 | — 1:20–3:20 PM | 50 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 7:07–9:07 AM 7:32–9:32 PM | 12:25–2:25 AM 1:28–3:28 PM | 63 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 7:53–9:53 AM 8:18–10:18 PM | 1:52–3:52 AM 1:36–3:36 PM | 75 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 8:38–10:38 AM 9:03–11:03 PM | 3:17–5:17 AM 1:43–3:43 PM | 85 |
| Sat Nov 7 🌘 | 9:23–11:23 AM 9:48–11:48 PM | 4:41–6:41 AM 1:52–3:52 PM | 93 |
| Sun Nov 8 🌘 | 10:10–12:10 PM 10:35–12:35 AM | 6:04–8:04 AM 2:04–4:04 PM | 97 |
| Mon Nov 9 🌑 | 10:58–12:58 PM 11:23–1:23 AM | 7:27–9:27 AM 2:20–4:20 PM | 99 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 9450460. Solunar windows computed from the moon's position for this location. Times shown in the station's local time. Not for navigation.
Open this station in TidalMapLive water level, free for 7 days
Set your own flood/low lines, moon & solunar, weather and live tides in the app, start a free TidalMap trial.