Tide data inaccurate

[ray.nasto]

I’m noticing that the Tide data is completely inaccurate for the Atlantic Ocean area where I use Windy. Seaside Heights NJ (ocean) is one area where it’s wrong and off by many hours. Island Beach State Park is another. Seemed to work fine last year.

[idefix37]

@ray-nasto
At Seaside Heights NJ, it seems not so bad
In Windy

Compared to Tide Forecast Worldwide https://www.tide-forecast.com/

What are your own reference charts ?

[ray.nasto]

@idefix37 thanks for your help. Your screenshots look accurate and the same as what I use for reference from NOAA Tide Predictions (Seaside Heights - https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaatidepredictions.html?id=8533071&units=standard&bdate=20240429&edate=20240430&timezone=LST/LDT&clock=12hour&datum=MLLW&interval=hilo&action=dailychart).

But for some odd reason, the data that I'm seeing in Windy is very different. Here are screenshot for 4/29/24. Windy is saying 4:04 AM High Tide, 11:01 AM Low Tide, while NOAA is saying 5:54 AM Low Tide (accurate), 11:59 AM High Tide (accurate).

[ray.nasto]

Here's also a screenshot using a marker in Windy that is slightly off the coast of Seaside Heights NJ. Tides are different and not accurate.

3:10 AM High, 10:09 AM Low in Windy
Compared to NOAA Seaside Heights (5:54 AM Low , 11:59 AM High)

[idefix37]

@ray-nasto
Your Windy screenshots are really strange.
This morning I get in Windy

And with the NOAA charts

So the HW and LW times are quite consistent

Please could you check the Windy data today again.

By the way, the data in Windy comes from https://www.worldtides.info/

[ray.nasto]

@idefix37 here's what I'm seeing this morning in Windy. Very strange...I used Windy to monitor the tides throughout last year and I don't recall seeing this discrepancy. If it helps, I was fishing in that area off the surf In Seaside Heights this past weekend on 4/27-4/28 and the NOAA data (and https://www.worldtides.info/) was accurate.

4/29 - Windy for Seaside Heights: 4:04 AM High, 11:01 AM Low, 4:47 PM High
4/29 - NOAA for Seaside Heights: 5:54 AM Low, 11:59 AM High, 5:39 PM Low

[idefix37]

@ray-nasto

So now, the question is why I get a correct prediction of tide times compared to NOAA but NOT YOU ?
Only developers can may be give an explanation…

[jz7kjz7k]

@idefix37
Hi everyone, we saw exactly the same thing today in Puget Sounds. We used GFS27 the 4 PM high tide was completely wrong. We are divers. We went down and hit biggest transition ever! This was a disaster and it was very dangerous for us. What is happening here? How can we get Developers of this App to notice?

[idefix37]

@jz7kjz7k

Tide forecast in some areas of Puget sounds is not easy for the global tide model used by Windy. You don’t say exactly where you observed the wrong forecast.
I compared the tide prediction in Windy with the NOAA tide charts at Vashon island north point :

At this location the tide forecast in Windy seems not so bad.
Note in some parts of Puget sound the tide is not sinusoidal as explain in Wikipedia:
“Tides in Puget Sound are of the mixed type with two high and two low tides each tidal day. These are called Higher High Water (HHW), Lower Low Water (LLW), Lower High Water (LHW), and Higher Low Water (HLW) “.
It can explain how tricky is the forecast.

Generally speaking, tide prediction in Windy is not very good in narrow inlets, narrow bays, river mouths and straits. But the forecasts are correct on the open sea.
If there is a safety issue with your offshore activity, I think it would be best to cross check predictions from NOAA:
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/map/index.html

By the way, the data in Windy are not computed by GFS as you seem to suggest but by
https://www.worldtides.info/