NOAA tides, water levels, and water temperature
Outgoing Tide uses the NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services for station metadata, tide predictions, preliminary water-level observations, and water-temperature observations where available.
- Tide predictions are calculated predictions for a station and are not the same as a live water-level measurement.
- Local tide snapshot data covers July 2026 through July 2027 for 1,000 high-demand fishing stations. The selection starts with prominent destinations, ranks NOAA stations using fishing-access and reference-station signals, and balances coverage across states and territories. The tide calendar uses those NOAA predictions first; other stations and dates continue through the live NOAA request path.
- Preliminary water levels are recent observations that have not completed NOAA quality control and can change.
- Residual is the displayed difference between the preliminary observation and the corresponding prediction.
- Water temperature appears only where a nearby NOAA station reports that product.
Weather and atmospheric conditions
Current weather, hourly conditions, and seven-day model guidance come from the Open-Meteo commercial Weather API for the selected station coordinates. Requests are relayed through Outgoing Tide so the commercial API credential is never sent to your browser. Displays may include temperature, wind, gusts, humidity, pressure, precipitation, cloud cover, weather codes, and UV guidance.
Forecast values are model guidance rather than direct observations at the selected tide station. Timing and local conditions may differ.
Marine forecast and swell
Wave height, wave period, swell height, swell period, and related marine guidance come from the commercial Open-Meteo Marine Weather API for the selected location through the same protected relay. Marine model guidance is not navigation data and should be checked against official marine forecasts and local conditions.
Radar and wind maps
Radar imagery is displayed from RainViewer over an OpenStreetMap basemap. The broader interactive wind map is embedded from Windy. Map timestamps, layers, models, and coverage are controlled by those providers.
Solunar periods and moon phases
Solunar windows are calculated from lunar events at the selected station coordinates using astronomical calculations. Major periods center on moon overhead and underfoot; minor periods center on moonrise and moonset. They are traditional planning references and do not predict or guarantee fish activity.
Species temperature windows
Species temperature windows are static guide-reference ranges. They are not live biological observations and should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a species is present or feeding. The highlighted ranges are compared with the latest available water-temperature source shown in the panel.
Station search and location
Station search combines a bundled coastal-station catalog with NOAA station metadata. ZIP-code searches use Zippopotam.us to estimate coordinates before finding nearby stations. Browser geolocation is used only after permission and is processed in the browser to find a nearby station.
Fishing regulations and species references
Regulation and species information is provided as a planning reference. Seasons, boundaries, size limits, bag limits, closures, and emergency rules can change. The controlling state or federal wildlife agency source should always be checked before fishing.
When an angler opens a species identification card, Outgoing Tide may request a short summary and openly licensed image attribution from Wikipedia and Wikimedia. Those references are supplemental identification aids, not regulatory or biological-status sources.
Loading, freshness, and availability
Live panels request information when they load or when the selected station changes. The covered tide calendar reads its local NOAA snapshot first and falls back to the live NOAA request path if a local file is unavailable. A displayed update time describes the source record or the most recent successful request available to that panel. Network failures, provider outages, station maintenance, and missing products can delay or prevent a live display.
App and website FAQ
For app configuration help, a guide to every screen and tab, refresh and offline-tide instructions, and brief answers about the website, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Questions about a source
If a panel appears inaccurate or a source label needs clarification, send the station name, station ID, panel name, and approximate time through the contact page.