Western Branch Tides Today
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Western Branch runs a mean tidal range of about 2.7 ft. This month the highest water, 3.6 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 10, and the lowest, a -0.0 ft minus tide, on the evening of Oct 27.
| High tide | 1:42 AM | 2.8 ft |
| Low tide | 7:54 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High tide | 2:16 PM | 3.3 ft |
| Low tide | 8:58 PM | 0.4 ft |
Today on the water at Western Branch
Today at Western Branch: high tide at 1:42 AM (2.8 ft) and 2:16 PM (3.3 ft), low tide at 7:54 AM (0.2 ft) and 8:58 PM (0.4 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is mostly sunny with NE winds 8 to 12 mph, 63°F. Sunrise is at 7:27 AM and sunset at 6:10 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Mostly Sunny | NE 8 to 12 mph | 63°F |
| Tonight | Mostly Cloudy | NE 2 to 7 mph | 46°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Western Branch is
Western Branch sits at 36.8232° N, 76.3991° W on the Chesapeake Bay, at Chesapeake, VA, in City of Chesapeake. The station here is a historical NOAA reference station: a gauge measured the tide at this spot from 2011 until 2011, and NOAA still publishes harmonic predictions from that record. There is no live reading here today. The closest gauge measuring live water level is Money Point (NOAA 8639348), 6.2 mi away, and the tide here runs on nearly the same clock.
The tide at Western Branch
Western Branch 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 3.1 ft, and 2.8 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.2 ft and the lower low sits 0.1 ft below the other low. For the water around it: Chesapeake tides are semidiurnal but small, 1 to 3 ft, and arrive many hours after the ocean tide as the wave works up the bay and its rivers.
About this station
- High tide reaches Western Branch about 1.7 hours after the moon passes overhead. That lag is local, which is why high water does not line up with the moon.
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 Western Branch from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 3.1 ft above it and mean sea level 1.5 ft. These datums are controlled from NOAA's Sewells Point, VA gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8638339, established 2011, gauge removed 2011. 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 Western Branch
- Craney Island Light: 5.8 mi, tides at about the same time
- Portsmouth, Naval Shipyard: 5.9 mi, tides about 4 min earlier
- Norfolk: 5.9 mi, tides about 9 min later
- Money Point: 6.2 mi, tides at about the same time
- Pig Point: 6.8 mi, tides about 29 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Western Branch this month: Oct 1, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, 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 Western Branch this month: Oct 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 Western Branch, 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 🌖 | 4:44–6:44 AM 5:09–7:09 PM | 10:12–12:12 AM 12:24–2:24 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 5:44–7:44 AM 6:09–8:09 PM | — 1:06–3:06 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 6:40–8:40 AM 7:05–9:05 PM | 11:27–1:27 AM 1:42–3:42 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:31–9:31 AM 7:56–9:56 PM | 12:39–2:39 AM 2:12–4:12 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:19–10:19 AM 8:44–10:44 PM | 1:49–3:49 AM 2:39–4:39 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:05–11:05 AM 9:30–11:30 PM | 2:56–4:56 AM 3:05–5:05 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 9:50–11:50 AM 10:15–12:15 AM | 4:01–6:01 AM 3:30–5:30 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8638339. 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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