Simple Tides / Guides / New England Tides: Maine to Rhode Island

Tides in New England: What to Expect from Maine to Rhode Island

New England has some of the most dramatic tide variation of any U.S. coastline in a single region — not because of a hurricane or a storm, but simply because of how close the northern half sits to the Bay of Fundy.

Downeast Maine: some of the largest tides in the U.S.

Around Eastport and Cobscook Bay, Maine, the tidal range regularly exceeds 18 feet — among the largest anywhere in the continental United States — because this stretch of coast is essentially the outer edge of the same funnel-and-resonance effect that makes the Bay of Fundy the most extreme tides on Earth. The range shrinks steadily as you move south and west along the Maine coast.

Southern Maine to Boston

By Portland and Boston, the range has settled into a more typical semidiurnal pattern of around 9–10 feet — still large by national standards, but a fraction of what Eastport sees. Cape Cod Bay behaves similarly, with a healthy range that drives strong tidal flow around the Cape's inlets and channels.

Long Island Sound and Rhode Island

South of Cape Cod, the range moderates further to roughly 6–7 feet in Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, still a clean semidiurnal pattern (two highs and two lows of similar size daily) but with noticeably gentler currents than the Maine coast.

What the region is known for

New England has a deep clamming and shellfishing tradition built entirely around low tide access to mudflats, plus excellent rocky-shore tide pooling in Maine. Nor'easters in the cooler months and hurricane remnants in late summer and fall can both add meaningful storm surge on top of the normal tide, particularly in low-lying harbor towns.

Search for stations along this coast on the Simple Tides map, or see our guide to NOAA stations for how to pick the right one.