On 28th February 2010 started a run of five closures on successive tides -

Five closures on successive tides

The record of consecutive (or near consecutive) closures is:
3 on 19th & 20th February 1996
5 on 25th - 27th December 1999
7 on 8th - 12th February 2001
4 on 10th - 14th March 2001
14 on 1st - 8th January 2003
5 on 21st - 23rd January 2003
3 on 18th - 22nd January 2007
4 on 18th - 20th March 2007
5 on 28th Feb - 2nd March 2010

Here is a snapshot of the flood closure on 10th February 2009. A deep depression had come up the channel and resulted in a backdoor surge: -

The barrier shut with a drop of 3m.

Full Closure	Monthly planned closure	Four hour closure
This is what a full closure would look like, based on the test closure on 4th October 2009. There was a considerable surge, but the river flow was very low. The upstream rise during the closure was estimated at 27cm per hour. After closure there is still a large body of water which has been displaced upstream by the tide and now needs to find its equilibrium, so it will "ebb" - ie move downstream, piling up against the barrier even though its lifeline - the tide - has been shut off. The actual river flow would not affect this very much. The graph comprises vertical lines from the higher level to the lower level at any moment (in green when upstream is higher and red when downstream):	Here is the small test closure on 7th September 2009. It was started a few minutes before low tide at the barrier and so was a 'reverse' closure with the level upstream higher than downstream. This is done so that the barrier machinery can be exercised without too great a disruption to the river. The opening needs to be at a moment when the sides are level to avoid the erosion which might happen as a result of "underspilling" to equalize the levels.	On the evening of August 17th 2011 the planned closure of 1st September was brought forward to help with a recovery operation. The tug Chiefton had been towing a barge, Skyline, when it collided with another tug, the Steven B, off Greenwich Pier. The Chiefton overturned and sank near Convoys Wharf with tragic results. This closure was to enable the lifting crane Apollo to raise the Chiefton. The outgoing tide was halted at about two hours before low water to maintain a steady level and low current and then the barrier opened again when the rising tide reached that level about two hours after low water.

It is fascinating to watch the tide measurements as the high [or low] tide point reaches first Walton and then slowly spreads west up the estuary. Of course tidal water in an estuary flows uphill! It does so because it is moving and its momentum carries it up (not because it is driven from behind!).

In the project pack are explanations of all the closures since the barrier was built.

Here are the best pressure forecast maps that I can find (up to 132 hours ahead). The nightmare scenario as I understand it is a low going north west up the Atlantic, then north of Scotland and then down the North Sea with a strong north wind.
 
The disastrous 1953 flood was caused by a surge of 2.59 metres.
The highest recorded surge was 3.66 metres.
But surges tend to peak four hours before high water, though this is not always the case.
 
Animated graph of the North Sea tides today (Week starting last night).

THAMES ESTUARY 2100 CONSULTATION (TE2100)

The PLA show planned Thames Barrier closures (daily) here.
The Environment Agency also carry monthly closures here

To find the time differences for places where tidal information is not given above see here

The North Sea is not big enough to have tides!
I am aware that this statement may come as something of a shock to those who live beside it. But the fact remains that taken on its own it would have almost no tide generated astronomically.
Of course it does have tides because it is coupled, both to the north and south, with the much bigger Atlantic which does have astronomic tides. This coupling excites resonances within the North Sea. They centre around three points where the tide is essentially zero, and they swirl around these points in a counterclockwise rotation.

But the Atlantic is also coupled to the great Pacific tides so we can trace our high tides from the tip of South Africa, sweeping North up the African west coast past Portugal then reaching Land's end.

At Land's End the tide divides: one part going North to the Welsh Coast (and of course up the Irish West Coast and on to the Scottish West coast). The tide comes round the north of Scotland from the Atlantic and sweeps down the east coast so that the tide at Felixstowe is more or less in the same state as the tide at Wick. The tide in the northern part of the north sea rotates around a point on the southernmost tip of Norway. In the centre of the North sea it rotates around a point half way across about level with Immingham. And in the southern part of the North Sea it rotates around a point about half way across level with Lowestoft. In the Southern rotation as the high water sweeps past the Thames Estuary and on across to the Belgian coast it is reinforced by the Eastward section of the tide which divided at Land's End. The two tides are almost in phase (though the tide which comes down the North Sea originated two complete tide cycles before that which comes directly east up the channel)

So our Thames tides is part of this counterclockwise rotation in the southern North Sea. It has two drivers: the tide coming up the channel (and keeping right - that is making the tides on the French coast much higher than on the South coast of England), imparting a push to the rotation up the Belgian and Dutch Coasts; and then the high tide sweeping down the East Coats of England arrives to push the rotation again down the English Coast from Lowestoft to Sheerness. The phasing of these two pushes is sufficiently accurate to maintain the rotation - but not exact, as examination of the tidal waveform at Lowestoft will clearly show.

The distance between high and low water at any point is roughly proportional to the distance from the amphydromic point around which it is rotating. As a rule of thumb the spring tide range at Wick is around 3 metres. It increases as one comes south down the east coast to a maximum of about 6 metres at Immingham. It then reduces to a minimum of around 2 metres at Lowestoft and increases again to 5 metres at Sheerness (and 6.5 metres at Richmond).

One of the striking points to be noticed is that in the northern rotation of the North Sea the tide acts as if it does actual rotate even though one half of the rotation is on land. The same thing is to be observed in the centre of the south coast where there is an amphydromic point snugly situated in the middle of the New Forest!

The rule for direction of British tides is that they go clockwise except on the South Coasts of England and Wales. In other words stand facing the open sea and the tide will be earlier at places to your left, except on the South Coast of England and the South Coast of Wales where the tide will be earlier at places to your right. (From Poole to Portsmouth the double tide makes things more complicated than that!)

Thames Tides - a description from 'The Geography of London River' by LL Rodwell Jones (1931) -

Co-tidal Tide and Range Lines in the Southern North Sea, Jones, 1931

The tides of north-west Europe are of the semi-diurnal type with nearly equal semi-diurnal amplitude.
[The figure above] taken from the North Sea Tide Chart shows co-tidal time and range lines. It indicates an amphidromic point (point at which the lines meet) in the southern North Sea about the latitude of Lowestoft and nearly midway between the English and Dutch coasts.
The co-tidal time lines show that the tidal pulse, involving a considerable tidal current, moves from north to south on the English side, and that the heaped up water to the south of Dover then passes north eastwards along the Belgian and Holland coasts.
The pulse completes the circle about the amphidromic point each twelve hours.
There is little tidal movement at that point, and the range of tide increases in all directions as shown by the almost circular range lines from that point.
An average tidal range line of 12 ft. runs from North Foreland north-westward, but this range is, of course, magnified in the estuary.
While still calling attention to this diagram we should notice for future reference that the time lines suggest that in the outer estuary High Water occurs in the northern portion (off Essex) some minutes before its occurence in the southern portion (off Kent).

Thus the tidal stream flows from north to south along the Essex coast and propagates a branch up the Thames estuary. The kinetic energy of this vast westward moving column of tidal water is dissipated in overcoming friction at the hydraulic surface, in holding up the upland waters, and, most importantly, in raising the water itself. As the estuary narrows a portion of the energy becomes concentrated upon a gradually decreasing cross-section, and the water is raised to higher and higher levels as one proceeds upstream.

[The figure below] represents the tides of a lunation as registered during a period of little meteorological interference at the Tilbury Pier Head gauge.
Since High Waters are later each day it is possible to record the fortnight's tides on a 24-hour clock drum.
The diagram is self-explanatory. The change in amplitude from springs to neaps is well shown, and the symmetry of the semi-diurnal type.

A Tidal Gauge Automatic Record for a Lunation
Observations taken at Tilbury Pier Head for the period 8 to 23 August 1928

1758: A Description of the River Thames &c -

The Tide ebbs and flows above 70 Miles up this River within the main Land, which is done twice in every 24 Hours; by which means all her channels are filled as often, to the great advantage of Trade and Navigation. Concerning which it is necessary to observe, that, as the Tide is influenced by the Increase and Decrease of the Moon, so the Tides differ in their Times, each one coming 24 Minutes later than the former, which wants but 12 minutes of a whole hour in 24. And therefore, they who have any Dependance on the Ebbing and Flowing of the River Thames, are regulated by such a Table as follows:

In the above table there is at least a mistake at 4 days after the New or Full Moon: instead of '5.52' it reads '6.52'
The 1758 account continues:

N.B. But after all, this Table only serves when the Tide is regular, and not interrupted by any Accidents; for if the Wind proves rough at West or South West, it is known to stop the flowing in of the Tide to its usual Height; and the boisterous North-East Wind has the contrary Effect. Another Accident is the overflowing of the banks of the Thames occassioned by great Rains, which being stopt in their Course to the Sea by the flowing Tide, must consequently make some Alteration in the height of the Water, of which there are several extraordinary Examples recorded, both in ancient and modern Histories *
[* See Maitland's History of London pp.49, 135, 145]

As to the Shifting or preternatural Tides, as some call them, they have either been of that little Consequence, as to deserve no Remark, or may be properly accounted for by what has already been observed concerning the Influence of the North-West Wind encountering a flow Ebb at the Thames's Mouth; which at least, for a certain space, must cause a return of the Tide.

But the most general Rule to know the Time of Tide at London Bridge is, that when the Moon is in the Full, or Changes, then it is High Water at or near Three o'Clock following; and it is likewise High Water there at Eight o'Clock, or within a few minutes, after the Moon enters its First or Last Quarters, and you are only to add - Minutes to each 24 hours (or Days) if your Enquiry hapens after each said Quarters of the Moon, to the Hour here given.

1911: Probably more than you wish to know about tides

source: Figure 11.5 of http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/IntroOc/lecture11.html reproduced by permission

Matthias Tomczak's Oceanography Lecture Notes, Lecture 11 -

Tides in the North Sea as derived from observations. Red lines are co-phase lines of the M2 tide, labelled in hours after the moon's transit through the meridian of Greenwich. (There are thus only 25 minutes between the co-phase lines labelled 12 and 0.) Blue lines give the mean tidal range at spring tide (co-range lines of the sum of M2 and S2). The progress of the tidal wave from the Atlantic Ocean into the North Sea is clearly demonstrated by the co-phase lines. The wave enters from the north and propagates along the British coast; it then proceeds around two amphidromic points along the Dutch, German and Danish coastline. Another wave enters from the south west, through the English Channel.
The influence of the Coriolis force is demonstrated by the co-range lines, which show large tidal range along the British coast and small tidal range along the German, Danish and Norwegian coast. The same effect (amplification on the right side of the wave) is seen in the English Channel, where the tidal range along the French coast is as high as 11 m compared with 3 m on the English coast.

Quoted by A Tour on the Banks of the Thames from London to Oxford, in the Autumn of 1829 By A. Walton -

Oft as the changing moon the ocean wide
Impels, our Thames receives the changing tide ;
When in mid Heaven fair Cynthia glorious rides,
By her directed, onward rush the tides ;
When, on the other side, she wears in wane,
The tides, attendant, hasten back again,
By force acquired, the exulting river swell'd,
Rolls on, and cries "to me all rivers yield",
Save the twin-brother floods of Elbe and Scheld.
With such true tides no river can be found
In all the realms that Europe's empire bound.

Height profile of the Thames.

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Not impressive! If the horizontal and vertical scales are the same, the profile is a horizontal line without a single pixel variation! To see any worthwhile information we need to highly magnify the vertical scale:

Lechlade - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Teddington

The Thames Barrier
Introduction
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS