8-Foot Tide Expected This Weekend

This is an unusual weekend. Not only did it start with Friday the 13th, it is continuing tonight with a full moon that is an astronomical oddity: a Hunter’s Moon.

Although the typical beach-goer probably would not notice, the tide off Orange County is unusually high this weekend, about eight feet, as opposed to the more typical five to six feet.

High tides today will be at 9:05 a.m. and 9:54 p.m. Low tides will be 2:54 a.m. and 3:41 p.m.

The high tide is produced by the full moon. The moon Saturday night is known as the Hunter’s Moon because at this time of year it rises soon after sunset, making the day seem longer and giving hunters more hours of light to catch their prey.

During a full moon the Earth, sun and moon are aligned, with the sun and moon on opposite sides of the Earth, explained Cal State Fullerton physics professor Fred M. Johnson. When all three are aligned, Johnson said, they create an “additive” effect in which the gravitational attraction of the sun and the moon on the earth are combined, creating the high tides.

Lifeguards at Newport Beach said the tide was two or three feet higher than normal Friday, but that would not be dangerous unless accompanied by heavy surf.