Lake Charles Tides Today
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Lake Charles runs a mean tidal range of about 0.9 ft. This month the highest water, 1.7 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 4, and the lowest, a -0.1 ft minus tide, on the afternoon of Oct 28.
| High tide | 2:58 AM | 1.6 ft |
| Low tide | 7:41 PM | -0.0 ft |
Today on the water at Lake Charles
Today at Lake Charles: high tide at 2:58 AM (1.6 ft), low tide at 7:41 PM (-0.0 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday is chance showers and thunderstorms with SE winds 5 to 10 mph, 81°F. The water at the gauge reads 75°F. Sunrise is at 7:25 AM and sunset at 6:27 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | E 5 mph | 69°F |
| Saturday | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | SE 5 to 10 mph | 81°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Lake Charles is
Lake Charles sits at 30.2236° N, 93.2217° W on the northern Gulf of Mexico, at Lake Charles, LA, in Calcasieu Parish. The station here is a NOAA gauge reporting live water levels. It has been in NOAA's records since 1932. The nearest weather station is Lake Charles, LA, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, right at this station.
The tide at Lake Charles
Lake Charles has a mixed tide: two highs and two lows a day, but of unequal size, so one low each day drains a little lower than the other. This month's predictions average 1.6 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 1.4 ft, and 1.1 ft between the average high and the average low, a small tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.1 ft and the lower low sits 0.2 ft below the other low. For the water around it: Northern Gulf tides are diurnal, one high and one low most days with ranges of 1 to 2 ft, so wind and river stage move the water as much as the moon.
About this station
- Highest water on record: 6.0 ft on Aug 27, 2020.
- Lowest on record: -2.9 ft on Jan 2, 2008.
- The National Weather Service counts 3.0 ft as minor flooding here, 4.0 ft as moderate and 6.0 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 Lake Charles from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 1.4 ft above it and mean sea level 0.8 ft. The land survey datum NAVD88, the zero on topographic maps and flood maps, is 0.7 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 Sabine Pass North, TX gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8767816, established 1932. 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 Lake Charles
- Calcasieu Ship Channel, Bulk Terminal: 5.3 mi, tides about 12 min earlier
- East Calcasieu Lake: 16.1 mi, tides about 104 min earlier
- Calcasieu Pass: 32.3 mi, tides about 227 min earlier
- Catfish Point, Mermentau River: 33.4 mi, tides about 96 min earlier
- Mermentau River, Grand Chenier: 33.5 mi, tides about 235 min earlier
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Lake Charles this month: Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 29. 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 Lake Charles this month: Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30, Oct 31. 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 Lake Charles, 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 🌖 | 4:54–6:54 AM 5:19–7:19 PM | 10:40–12:40 AM 12:14–2:14 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 5:54–7:54 AM 6:19–8:19 PM | — 1:01–3:01 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 6:50–8:50 AM 7:15–9:15 PM | 11:51–1:51 AM 1:40–3:40 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:41–9:41 AM 8:06–10:06 PM | 12:59–2:59 AM 2:15–4:15 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:29–10:29 AM 8:54–10:54 PM | 2:03–4:03 AM 2:46–4:46 PM | 61 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:15–11:15 AM 9:40–11:40 PM | 3:06–5:06 AM 3:16–5:16 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 10:00–12:00 PM 10:25–12:25 AM | 4:06–6:06 AM 3:46–5:46 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8767816. 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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