04/16/2025
Great to hear!
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🚨 TIDAL SENSORS UPDATE 🚨 I have great news Southwest Florida! I was just told today by Charlotte County that they are putting in *five* continuous water level stations prior to the start of this hurricane season! Here's the latest:
The new sensors will be able to read levels from Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Lemon Bay, and Boca Grande (to name a few). Some of the benefits? We can now see when surge or water levels are going up or down. We can also use the data for historical comparisons with future storms. Due to the delay and cost of sensors from NOAA, Charlotte County will be using a quicker, more cost-effective approach from the company Hyfi. I would like to commend and thank Charlotte County DPS & EM for all that they have done during the off-season.
Lee County has also made incredible gains during the off-season too...especially with implementing more weather cameras and sensors from a company called Weatherstem! During Hurricane Ian, there were some gaps in data of what occurred along the Southwest Florida coast. The sensors were either not there to begin with or were destroyed. By teaming up with Weathersteam, they will be able to provide live updates along with painting an even more accurate picture of what is happening during a hurricane. They also have been expanding their water monitoring network too from Hohonu (pictured in this post). That allows us to get the critical data we need without waiting for NOAA sensors to get approved and installed. It's a much cheaper option and cost-effective. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and FGCU also have tide sensors in the county too! Thank you Lee County DPS & EM, we greatly appreciate it!
That's the latest, I will continue to keep you updated as new information comes in!
- Matt Devitt WINK Weather
