Ocracoke Island lighthouse silhouetted against a dusk sky on the Outer Banks
2026 OBX Tide Calendar — Spring, Neap & King Tides
Month-by-month calendar of the biggest tide events on the Outer Banks for 2026 — spring tides, neap tides, perigean king tides, and seasonal flooding windows.
This calendar lists every spring tide (new moon and full moon), neap tide (first and last quarter), and perigean king tide for the Outer Banks in 2026. Use it to plan surf fishing trips around the biggest moving water, time beach driving for the firm low-tide windows, or avoid the high-flood-risk dates if you're renting on Hatteras Island or Ocracoke. Times are in Eastern (ET) and apply to all OBX gauges — high tide times by location are on the individual gauge pages.
How to read this calendar
Spring tide — biggest range of the cycle. Best moving-water fishing. Watch for overwash on a sustained NE wind.
King tide ★ — perigean spring tide, when a full or new moon lands near lunar perigee. It runs higher than an ordinary spring tide and raises the flood and overwash risk on Hwy 12, especially with an onshore wind.
Apogean ◇ — apogee spring tide. Slightly smaller than normal spring.
January 2026
Date
Event
Type
Jan 3 (Sat)
Full Moon — Wolf Moon
Spring tide
Jan 10 (Sat)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Jan 18 (Sun)
New Moon
Spring tide
Jan 25 (Sun)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
February 2026
Date
Event
Type
Feb 1 (Sun)
Full Moon — Snow Moon
Spring tide
Feb 9 (Mon)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Feb 17 (Tue)
New Moon
Spring tide
Feb 24 (Tue)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
March 2026
Date
Event
Type
Mar 3 (Tue)
Full Moon — Worm Moon (Total Lunar Eclipse)
Spring tide
Mar 8 (Sun)
Daylight Saving Time begins
—
Mar 11 (Wed)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Mar 18 (Wed)
New Moon
Spring tide
Mar 20 (Fri)
Spring Equinox — equinoctial tide window
—
Mar 25 (Wed)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
April 2026
Date
Event
Type
Apr 1 (Wed)
Full Moon — Pink Moon
Spring tide
Apr 10 (Fri)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Apr 17 (Fri)
New Moon
Spring tide
Apr 23 (Thu)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
May 2026
Date
Event
Type
May 1 (Fri)
Full Moon — Flower Moon
Spring tide
May 9 (Sat)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
May 16 (Sat)
New Moon
Spring tide
May 23 (Sat)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
May 31 (Sun)
Full Moon — Blue Moon (second of May)
Spring tide
June 2026
Date
Event
Type
Jun 8 (Mon)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Jun 14 (Sun)
New Moon
Spring tide
Jun 21 (Sun)
Summer Solstice
—
Jun 21 (Sun)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Jun 29 (Mon)
Full Moon — Strawberry Moon
Spring tide
July 2026
Date
Event
Type
Jul 7 (Tue)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Jul 14 (Tue)
New Moon
Spring tide
Jul 21 (Tue)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Jul 29 (Wed)
Full Moon — Buck Moon
Spring tide
August 2026
Date
Event
Type
Aug 5 (Wed)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Aug 12 (Wed)
New Moon — Total Solar Eclipse (Iceland/Spain)
Spring tide
Aug 19 (Wed)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Aug 28 (Fri)
Full Moon — Sturgeon Moon
Spring tide
September 2026 — Watch Window Opens
September through November is the OBX flood-risk peak. Seasonal sea level runs 6-10 inches above spring averages, and Atlantic hurricane season is at its busiest. The September new moon and equinox window historically produces the most Highway 12 closures.
Date
Event
Type
Sep 4 (Fri)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Sep 10 (Thu)
New Moon
Spring tide
Sep 18 (Fri)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Sep 22 (Tue)
Autumn Equinox
Equinoctial tide
Sep 26 (Sat)
Full Moon — Harvest Moon
Spring tide
October 2026 — Peak King Tide Window
The October full moon combined with autumn perigee produces some of the highest predicted tides of the year on the OBX. NOAA predictions for 2026 put the single highest water on October 27 at Duck and November 25 at Cape Hatteras. Hurricane season is still active. The combination of king tide + onshore wind + active tropics is the worst flooding setup for Highway 12, Pea Island, and Hatteras Village.
Date
Event
Type
Oct 3 (Sat)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Oct 10 (Sat)
New Moon
Spring tide
Oct 18 (Sun)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Oct 26 (Mon)
Full Moon — Hunter's Moon ★★
King tide (peak perigean)
November 2026
Date
Event
Type
Nov 1 (Sun)
Daylight Saving Time ends
—
Nov 1 (Sun)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Nov 9 (Mon)
New Moon
Spring tide
Nov 17 (Tue)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Nov 24 (Tue)
Full Moon — Beaver Moon ★
King tide (perigean)
December 2026
Date
Event
Type
Dec 1 (Tue)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Dec 8 (Tue)
New Moon
Spring tide
Dec 17 (Thu)
First Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Dec 21 (Mon)
Winter Solstice
—
Dec 23 (Wed)
Full Moon — Cold Moon
Spring tide
Dec 30 (Wed)
Last Quarter Moon
Neap tide
Key dates for 2026 OBX planning
Biggest king tide of the year: October 27 at Duck and November 25 at Cape Hatteras, per NOAA predictions for 2026
Fall drum spring tide window: September 26 and October 26 full moons
Best summer fishing moons: July 14 new moon, July 29 full moon
Highest astronomical flood risk: late September through late November, when seasonal sea level runs highest and the fall spring tides stack up
Surf fishermen: Block spring tide weekends. Cross-reference with sunrise/sunset for the dawn/dusk moving-water windows.
Beach drivers: Spring tides expose more hard pack at low. Neap tides give gentler highs but a narrower firm band.
Vacation renters: If you're booking Hatteras or Ocracoke in late September through early November, watch the king tide dates and check the forecast 5 days out.
Boaters: Aim for neap tide weekends to cross Oregon Inlet or Hatteras Inlet in moderate conditions.
Times above are based on standard lunar phase calculations and are accurate to within a few hours. For precise high and low tide times on a specific date, use the interactive chart on the relevant gauge page.
