Southport Tides Today
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Southport runs a mean tidal range of about 4.2 ft. This month the highest water, 5.5 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 28, and the lowest, a -0.3 ft minus tide, on the morning of Oct 28.
| High tide | 12:16 AM | 3.9 ft |
| Low tide | 6:16 AM | -0.0 ft |
| High tide | 12:50 PM | 5.1 ft |
| Low tide | 7:15 PM | 0.2 ft |
Today on the water at Southport
Today at Southport: high tide at 12:16 AM (3.9 ft) and 12:50 PM (5.1 ft), low tide at 6:16 AM (-0.0 ft) and 7:15 PM (0.2 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is mostly sunny with NE winds 13 to 16 mph, 69°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 7:29 AM and sunset at 6:21 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Mostly Sunny | NE 13 to 16 mph | 69°F |
| Tonight | Mostly Cloudy | NE 14 mph | 54°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Southport is
Southport sits at 33.9150° N, 78.0183° W on the Carolina and Georgia coast on the South Atlantic Bight, at Southport, NC, in Brunswick County. The station here is a historical NOAA reference station: a gauge measured the tide at this spot from 1974 until 2008, and NOAA still publishes harmonic predictions from that record. There is no live reading here today. The closest gauge measuring live water level is Bald Head Island (a Hohonu community gauge), 2.8 mi away, and high and low water here run on average about 15 min later than there. The nearest weather station is Brunswick County Airport, an airport reporting wind, visibility and sky cover, but no water temperature, 3.2 mi away.
The tide at Southport
Southport 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 4.7 ft, and 4.2 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.3 ft and the lower low sits 0.1 ft below the other low. For the water around it: Lowcountry tides are semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day of near equal size, and the range grows toward Georgia, where 6 to 9 ft is normal.
About this station
- High tide reaches Southport about 0.6 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: 6.9 ft on Dec 2, 1986.
- Lowest on record: -2.0 ft on Mar 18, 1980.
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 Southport from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 4.7 ft above it and mean sea level 2.3 ft. The land survey datum NAVD88, the zero on topographic maps and flood maps, is 2.8 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 Charleston, SC gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8659084, established 1974, gauge removed 2008. The tide times and heights are NOAA's official harmonic predictions for this station; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them.
Tide stations near Southport
- Bald Head: 2.6 mi, tides about 34 min earlier
- Oak Island, Yaupon Beach: 3.7 mi, tides about 34 min earlier
- Zekes Island: 4.5 mi, tides about 38 min later
- Federal Point: 5.5 mi, tides about 16 min later
- Sunny Point Army Base, Wharf no.1: 6.3 mi, tides about 26 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Southport this month: Oct 1, Oct 25, Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30, Oct 31. 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 Southport this month: Oct 1, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 25, Oct 26, 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 Southport, 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 🌖 | 4:51–6:51 AM 5:16–7:16 PM | 10:27–12:27 AM 12:21–2:21 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 5:51–7:51 AM 6:16–8:16 PM | — 1:06–3:06 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 6:47–8:47 AM 7:12–9:12 PM | 11:40–1:40 AM 1:44–3:44 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:38–9:38 AM 8:03–10:03 PM | 12:50–2:50 AM 2:16–4:16 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:26–10:26 AM 8:51–10:51 PM | 1:58–3:58 AM 2:45–4:45 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:12–11:12 AM 9:37–11:37 PM | 3:03–5:03 AM 3:12–5:12 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 9:57–11:57 AM 10:22–12:22 AM | 4:06–6:06 AM 3:40–5:40 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8659084. 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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