Wilmington tide times

Cape Fear River, NCCape Fear RiverNOAA 8658120Tuesday, October 20 · EDTTue Oct 20Live gauge · 5 min agoLiveChange station
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The last tide turn at Wilmington today has passed. Tomorrow's first low is at 12:19 AM. The water is running 1.0 ft above the forecast right now.

Right now
5.1 ft ↓
Falling 0.8 ft per hour
Next low
12:19 AM
In 4 h 56 min · 1.0 ft
Next high
6:06 AM
In 10 h 43 min · 4.4 ft
Gauge vs forecast
+1.0 ft
Water running above prediction
Gauge reads 1.0 ft above forecast

Today's tide

PredictedMeasuredNightHeight above MLLW
0 ft2 ft4 ft6 ftNOW 7:235:15 AMHigh · 4.2 ft11:24 AMLow · 1.0 ft5:46 PMHigh · 4.7 ft
Tide chart for Wilmington, today. High 4.2 ft at 5:15 AM, low 1.0 ft at 11:24 AM, high 4.7 ft at 5:46 PM. Measured water level is 1.0 ft above the prediction.

Blue shows the NOAA prediction and amber shows the measured water level so far today. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).

Today's tides

ft above MLLW
  • High5:15 AM4.2 ft
  • Low11:24 AM1.0 ft
  • High5:46 PM4.7 ft
Tide times for Wilmington
TideTimeHeight
High5:15 AM4.2 ft
Low11:24 AM1.0 ft
High5:46 PM4.7 ft
Water temp
71°F
Station sensor
Sunrise
7:22 AM
First light 6:56
Sunset
6:33 PM
Last light 6:58
Moon
69%
Waxing gibbous
Tide range
3.7 ft
Mean 4.3 ft

Best windows today

Plan the week →
  • Fishing
    7:30 to 8:00 PM

    Today's best window (6:00 to 7:00 PM) has passed. Moving water near sunset, as the tide falls toward the 12:19 AM low.

  • Tidepools & shelling
    Next: Wed 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
    Earlier today: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

    Today's best window (11:00 AM to 12:00 PM) has passed.

  • Surfing
    Next: Wed 2:00 to 4:00 PM
    Earlier today: 1:00 to 3:00 PM

    Today's best window (1:00 to 3:00 PM) has passed.

  • Shallow boat launch
    Avoid 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

    Under 1.5 ft around low water. Launch before 9:00 AM.

Plan the week

Moving water around the turn often fishes best. Local species and bait matter more than any chart.

Next 7 days

October calendar →
High and low tides for the next 7 days, heights in ft
DayTide 1Tide 2Tide 3Tide 4Range, ft
TodayTue 20H5:15a4.2L11:24a1.0H5:46p4.73.7
WedOct 21L12:19a1.0H6:06a4.4L12:27p0.9H6:34p4.73.8
ThuOct 22L1:08a0.8H6:58a4.6L1:26p0.8H7:23p4.74.0
FriOct 23L1:55a0.6H7:48a4.8L2:23p0.6H8:09p4.84.2
SatOct 24L2:41a0.4H8:34a5.0L3:17p0.5H8:53p4.84.7
SunOct 25L3:27a0.2H9:16a5.2L4:10p0.3H9:35p4.85.0
MonOct 26L4:13a0.1H9:57a5.4L5:03p0.3H10:17p4.75.3 spring tide

King tides Oct 26 to Oct 28. The year's highest tides at this station, from our scan of NOAA predictions. About king tides

Tide predictions and observations: NOAA National Ocean Service, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), station 8658120.

Nearby stations

Currents

Wilmington, Uss North Carolina

  • Slack1:11 AM
  • Max flood3:38 AM 0.9 kn
  • Slack6:30 AM
  • Max ebb9:04 AM 1.6 kn
  • Slack1:30 PM
  • Max flood3:46 PM 1.0 kn
  • Slack6:41 PM
  • Max ebb9:14 PM 1.7 kn

Current predictions for Wilmington, Uss North Carolina, 0.5 mi away. Currents near inlets can be strong. Not for navigation.

Station details

Datum
Mean lower low water
Predictions
NOAA, from this station's own tide records
Live gauge
Every 6 minutes
Coordinates
34.227° N, 77.953° W
Time zone
Eastern, UTC−4
Station ID
NOAA 8658120

About the tides at Wilmington

Expect two roughly equal high tides a day at Cape Fear River, each arriving about 50 minutes later than the day before. The average range is about 4.3 ft. Spring tides add a little more at both ends. That is larger than most North Carolina stations on this site. From the average lower low to the average higher high, the difference is 4.7 ft. In the next 12 months the highest predicted tide here is 5.4 ft on October 27, and the lowest is −1.2 ft on January 23.

Cape Fear River is a NOAA water level station with a live gauge, updated every 6 minutes. Predictions come from the station's own tide records. It also reports water temperature and air pressure. It was established in 1908. The nearest other station is Shinn Point, 8 mi away, where high tide comes about 1 h 42 m earlier. For tidal currents, see Wilmington, Uss North Carolina.

Height unitsftmAdd this tide widget to your site. It's free.Week plannerPrintable October calendar

Tide predictions and water levels from NOAA CO-OPS. For planning only, not for navigation. Real water levels can differ because of wind, air pressure and river flow. Always check conditions on site.