OK, so I’m not sure how many people will read this post but about a month ago I did a blog posting on the Effects of the King Tides on Palm Beach Real Estate. When I wrote this post I could see that the actual recorded water level at high tides at the Lake Worth Pier was over one foot HIGHER than what NOAA predicted. WHY? This is one of the main tide gauges used by NOAA to record tide data. Other tide data in the area at places like the the PGA Bridge or even the Port of Palm Beach is based upon the Lake Worth Pier data with a numerical modifier applied. How could they be off by over a full foot?
I just found the answer in THIS ARTICLE which quotes a Brian McNoldy, senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Research, who notes that: “NOAA’s forecasts on king tides rarely line up with the actual measured high tides. The most recent king tide came in 16 inches higher than NOAA predicted it would. The reasons are a combination of warmer waters at this time of the year, however the The last two king tides also coincided with tropical systems that, although far away from Florida’s coast, played a role in the height of the tides. Hurricane Lorenzo, which became a powerful Category 5 storm thousands of miles away, was roaring through the ocean at the start of the month. For the recent king tide, Subtropical Storm Melissa stomped around New England.”
Even more fascinating as noted in this article is that water has “backed up” in the Gulf of Mexico.
