Wilmington Tides Today
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Wilmington runs a mean tidal range of about 4.3 ft. This month the highest water, 5.4 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 27, and the lowest, a -0.0 ft minus tide, on the morning of Oct 28.
| High tide | 2:06 AM | 4.3 ft |
| Low tide | 8:27 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High tide | 2:49 PM | 5.0 ft |
| Low tide | 9:32 PM | 0.6 ft |
Today on the water at Wilmington
Today at Wilmington: high tide at 2:06 AM (4.3 ft) and 2:49 PM (5.0 ft), low tide at 8:27 AM (0.2 ft) and 9:32 PM (0.6 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is mostly sunny with NE winds 8 to 12 mph, 71°F. In effect now: Coastal Flood Advisory. The water at the gauge reads 68°F. Sunrise is at 7:29 AM and sunset at 6:20 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Mostly Sunny | NE 8 to 12 mph | 71°F |
| Tonight | Mostly Cloudy | NE 8 mph | 52°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Wilmington is
Wilmington sits at 34.2267° N, 77.9533° W on the Carolina and Georgia coast on the South Atlantic Bight, at Wilmington, NC, in New Hanover County. 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 1908. The nearest weather station is Wilmington, NC, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, right at this station.
The tide at Wilmington
Wilmington 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 4.3 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: 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 Wilmington about 2.4 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: 9.0 ft on Aug 4, 2020.
- Lowest on record: -1.9 ft on Feb 12, 1981.
- The National Weather Service counts 5.5 ft as minor flooding here, 6.7 ft as moderate and 10.0 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 Wilmington from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 4.7 ft above it and mean sea level 2.4 ft. The land survey datum NAVD88, the zero on topographic maps and flood maps, is 2.6 ft above MLLW here, so a water level on this page converts to NAVD88 by subtracting that amount. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8658120, a National Water Level Observation Network gauge, established 1908. 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 Wilmington
- Shinn Point, ICWW: 8.1 mi, tides about 117 min earlier
- Wrightsville Beach: 9.6 mi, tides about 147 min earlier
- Wilmington Beach: 13.9 mi, tides about 135 min earlier
- Hampstead: 16.1 mi, tides about 82 min earlier
- Sunny Point Army Base, Wharf no.1: 16.4 mi, tides about 84 min earlier
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Wilmington this month: Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 25, Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, 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 Wilmington this month: Oct 27, Oct 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 Wilmington, 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 | 10:26–12:26 AM 12:22–2:22 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 5:51–7:51 AM 6:16–8:16 PM | — 1:07–3:07 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 6:46–8:46 AM 7:11–9:11 PM | 11:39–1:39 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 | 1:57–3:57 AM 2:45–4:45 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:12–11:12 AM 9:37–11:37 PM | 3:02–5:02 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 3:39–5:39 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8658120. 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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