KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 1, 2025 – No word yet if Aquaman will come in on next month’s king tide, but tide watchers and comic enthusiasts alike are invited to watch the tides this fall, with just a few king tides remaining for 2025.
This year’s Comic Con attendees in Providence can even join in to see how the levels look outside the Rhode Island Convention Center when the November king tide rolls into Providence and overlaps with Rhode Island Comic Con. King tide photos taken through the MyCoast: Rhode Island effort track water impact in downtown Providence and across the state at all points of water and land interaction.
The University of Rhode Island launched its fall observation of king tides last month, with several Rhode Islanders submitting images taken in September, for the first observable tide of the new school year. Twenty-five statewide “reporters” shared photos of the tides at 13 communities around Rhode Island, with the most coming from Barrington and Charlestown.
There are three more months for the URI community and the public to track the next tides, with extreme high tides returning to Rhode Island coastlines Oct. 7-10, Nov. 5-8, and Dec. 5-6.
Rhode Islanders joining the MyCoast: Rhode Island king tide monitoring effort help document the effect that extreme tide events have on state beaches, coastal waterways, private property, and public infrastructure. This high-tide flooding—also called nuisance or sunny-day flooding—causes short-term public inconveniences such as flooded streets and closed roads. Over longer periods, such chronic flooding can also compromise infrastructure.
Tide time
King tides are a good visual estimation of what Rhode Island’s coast will look like with sea level rise in the future, according to Casey Tremper with Rhode Island Sea Grant. The MyCoast team uses the photos to better understand current and future issues, analyze coastal vulnerability, and assess needed planning throughout the state’s coastal neighborhoods. Save The Bay and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council also utilize information and data obtained through the program, and URI researchers use the pictures to validate their coastal models.
The term “king tide” is a non-scientific term used to describe the highest seasonal tides that occur each year. These tides occur naturally and are typically caused when a spring tide takes place when the moon is closest to Earth during the 28-day elliptical orbit, known as a perigee. The effect of individual king tides may vary. In some cases, they may barely be noticed. In other cases, a king tide may cause coastal erosion, flooding of low-lying areas, and disruption to normal daily routines. This is particularly true when a king tide coincides with significant precipitation, or when water drainage and runoff is impeded.
MyCoast: Rhode Island volunteers can upload photos and short videos showing where these king tides are flooding streets, parking lots, yards, sidewalks, and shoreline access areas.
Since URI’s Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant introduced the shoreline monitoring effort to local communities a decade ago, more than 1,500 state residents have uploaded pictures. Last year, volunteers submitted more than 600 photos of king tides throughout Rhode Island, with more than 3,000 photos submitted to date in king tide photo captures.
Sea Grant staff say the program is also a great way for URI students living down the line to get to know the Ocean State and help contribute to this crowdsourced community science effort.
Volunteers are needed for tide tracking April through December each year. Once registered at MyCoast, photographers can submit photos during any king tide taking place during the year. Coast watchers are cautioned to be careful when capturing footage. Avoid driving into flood waters or walking on slippery rocks.
To sign up to track the next king tides, visit mycoast.org/ri and click ‘register.’ For questions, contact Casey Tremper at casey_tremper@uri.edu.