Boston tides today
The Boston gauge in the Inner Harbor has one of the longest water level records in the country and is the reference for predictions all around Massachusetts Bay.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Boston, MA · Tuesday, October 13
Tide falling, 3.4 ft now
Low 7:57 PM
0.1 ft · in 2 h 16 min
| High | 1:29 AM | 9.6 ft |
| Low | 7:25 AM | 0.9 ft |
| High | 1:35 PM | 10.4 ft |
| Low | 7:57 PM | 0.1 ft |
Tide coefficient 103 (average), range 10.2 ft
Sunrise 6:55 AM · sunset 6:05 PM
Waxing crescent, 9% lit · fishing day ★★★☆
Solunar: major 1:23 AM–3:23 AM, minor 9:44 AM–10:44 AM, major 1:48 PM–3:48 PM, minor 6:46 PM–7:46 PM
Boston tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:29 AM 9.6 ft · 1:35 PM 10.4 ft | 7:25 AM 0.9 ft · 7:57 PM 0.1 ft | 103 | 6:55 AM–6:05 PM | Waxing crescent ★★★☆ | |
| 2:12 AM 9.2 ft · 2:16 PM 10.1 ft | 8:07 AM 1.3 ft · 8:41 PM 0.5 ft | 96 | 6:56 AM–6:04 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:55 AM 8.8 ft · 2:59 PM 9.7 ft | 8:49 AM 1.7 ft · 9:26 PM 0.9 ft | 89 | 6:57 AM–6:02 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 3:41 AM 8.5 ft · 3:46 PM 9.4 ft | 9:34 AM 2.1 ft · 10:15 PM 1.3 ft | 82 | 6:58 AM–6:01 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 4:31 AM 8.1 ft · 4:37 PM 9.1 ft | 10:24 AM 2.4 ft · 11:07 PM 1.6 ft | 76 | 6:59 AM–5:59 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 5:26 AM 8.0 ft · 5:33 PM 8.9 ft | 11:19 AM 2.5 ft | 64 | 7:01 AM–5:57 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 6:21 AM 8.0 ft · 6:29 PM 8.9 ft | 12:02 AM 1.7 ft · 12:15 PM 2.5 ft | 72 | 7:02 AM–5:56 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Boston
No window of 30 minutes or more below 1.0 ft over the next 7 days in daylight. Try a higher level.
A falling tide uncovers sand bars and tide pools first; plan to be back before the water rises past the level you chose. Not for navigation.
Station BOSTON (NOAA 8443970). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 9.9 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
Tide times for Boston come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 8443970, BOSTON. The tide here is semidiurnal: two highs and two lows of similar height every day, about six hours and a quarter apart, with an average daily range of 9.9 ft. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 12.1 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 7.9 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 162 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -1.8 ft on January 23, 2027. The highest predicted tide of that period is 11.8 ft on November 26, 2026. Clock times are Eastern Time, daylight saving time included.
Nearly ten feet, twice a day, in a city harbor
Boston Harbor rises and falls 9.9 ft on an average day, enough to change the city's edge: seawalls show their weed line, the Harborwalk steps disappear and reappear, and the mud of Dorchester Bay and the Neponset flats spreads wide at low water. Around the new and full moon the range grows to 12.1 ft.
NOAA uses this gauge to predict a whole family of nearby places. Charlestown at the mouth of the Charles, Deer Island, Moon Head and the Neponset River are listed as Boston with corrections of a minute or two and the same height. Further away, even stations on Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound are computed from Boston with larger corrections: Pleasant Bay in Chatham runs about two and a half hours later with a third of the range.
King tides on the waterfront
Boston is a city where the highest tides of the year can bring seawater onto streets and wharves, especially in the low parts of the waterfront when an onshore wind adds a surge. The highest prediction of the period is 11.8 ft on November 26, 2026. The king tides guide explains why those dates come with the moon's perigee, and NOAA's observations show how far the water actually went.
Harbor islands and the flats
For a ferry trip to the harbor islands, the tide changes the landing more than the crossing. For clamming flats, beach walks at Carson Beach or a paddle along the Neponset, the low matters: the lowest of the period is -1.8 ft on January 23, 2027. Currents in the channels between the islands run hard at mid-tide.
Highest and lowest tides at Boston, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for BOSTON between October 1, 2026 and December 31, 2027, one per day. The high-water dates are the king tides of this station; the low-water dates are the best days to see the flats, bars and tide pools.
| Highest highs | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| November 26, 2026 | 11:49 AM | 11.8 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 11:35 AM | 11.8 ft |
| July 6, 2027 | 1:05 AM | 11.8 ft |
| July 5, 2027 | 12:09 AM | 11.8 ft |
| August 2, 2027 | 11:54 PM | 11.8 ft |
| November 25, 2026 | 10:57 AM | 11.8 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2027 | 5:49 PM | -1.8 ft |
| January 24, 2027 | 6:38 PM | -1.7 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 6:06 PM | -1.6 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 4:58 PM | -1.6 ft |
| December 24, 2026 | 5:13 PM | -1.6 ft |
| December 26, 2026 | 6:58 PM | -1.5 ft |
Tidal datums at station 8443970
NOAA's averages over the 1983-2001 epoch, measured from the chart zero (MLLW). Average range of the tide (MN): 9.5 ft; great diurnal range (GT): 10.3 ft.
| Datum | Meaning | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| MHHW | Mean Higher High Water | 10.3 ft |
| MHW | Mean High Water | 9.8 ft |
| MSL | Mean Sea Level | 5.2 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 0.3 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- Gloucester tides: Gloucester Harbor, average range 9.4 ft, highest predicted tide 11.3 ft on July 6, 2027
- Plymouth tides: Plymouth, average range 10.0 ft, highest predicted tide 12.2 ft on July 6, 2027
- Provincetown tides: Provincetown, average range 9.9 ft, highest predicted tide 11.6 ft on July 6, 2027
- Hyannis tides: Hyannis Port, average range 3.6 ft, highest predicted tide 4.7 ft on July 5, 2027
- Chatham tides: Chatham, Stage Harbor, average range 4.3 ft, highest predicted tide 5.5 ft on November 26, 2026
- Nantucket tides: NANTUCKET, average range 3.5 ft, highest predicted tide 4.4 ft on November 26, 2026