The first king tide of the year caused water to pound Santa Barbara’s coastline on November 6 – flooding beaches and parking lots and tossing walls of normally dry areas at places like Butterfly Beach and Campus Point.
This weekend sees two of these exceptionally high tides, which occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up, causing waves to reach extreme heights and lows. According to the California Coastal Commission, they are typically at least a foot above average high tide.
Santa Barbara is expected to see tides as high as 7.23 feet each morning from Thursday, December 4 through Saturday, December 7. Tremendous high tides will inundate beaches from Goleta to Ventura and are likely to damage property and other infrastructure.
The commission and Santa Barbara environmental groups say it’s a glimpse of the future. Scientists estimate that the planet’s warming climate will cause sea levels in California to rise 1.2 feet by 2050 and 6.6 feet by the end of the century.
Scientists say increased greenhouse gas pollution from the burning of fossil fuels acts like an atmospheric “blanket” that traps heat that would otherwise escape, causing Earth’s temperature to rise, glaciers and ice sheets to melt and water to expand, which will cause sea levels to rise.
While king tides themselves are not caused by climate change, “high king tides provide us with a preview of future sea level rise, revealing which coastal areas and infrastructure are most vulnerable to current and future flooding,” explained Karina Johnston, executive director of Heal the Ocean. “These tidal events help us prioritize locations to implement science-based adaptation strategies, which will strengthen the resilience of our coastal communities.”
The California Coastal Commission is asking the public to take photos of this year’s tides to add to its existing photo gallery from last season.
“Capturing tides draws attention to the impacts of climate change and helps prepare for the future,” the commission said in a statement. The public is advised to prioritize their own safety, stay away from the waves and give space to shore birds and other animals when taking photographs.
“The images are used by climate researchers, as well as local and state officials to validate models of sea level rise and assess local vulnerabilities to erosion and flooding,” the commission said. “This project is one of many similar community science efforts around the world to create a visual record of our changing coastlines.”
Details available on the Commission’s website include local time for king sorghum, community events and registration for the December 2 webinar about the program.
If you miss seeing the December tide, people will have another chance to see the final king tide of the season on January 2 and 3, 2026.
Santa Barbara’s King Tide Schedule:
December 4, 2025
High tide time/height: 7:58 am / 7.18 feet.
December 5, 2025
High tide time/height: 8:43 am / 7.23 feet.
December 6, 2025
High tide time/height: 9:29 am/7.04 feet
January 2, 2026
High tide time/height: 7:49 am / 7.03 feet.
January 3, 2026
High tide time/height: 8:37 am / 7.02 feet.
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