We've got a big king tide coming this weekend on some parts of the coast--up to a +12.5 high tide. There's potential for a storm that may drive things even higher. So I started looking at tide spots up and down the coast to see where it would be most extreme--based on my limited checking, that looks like Penobscot Bay.
But then I noticed something weird. Both Saturday and Sunday morning high tides are predicted to be pretty high. But what's weird is that the Sunday am high tide is almost 2 hours later than the Saturday am. My first thought was that this was related to all that water moving back and forth, as the tide site I was looking at is way up Penobscot Bay almost to the mouth of the Penobscot River. So I checked a site on the open ocean, at Portland, and while the predicted tide is a lot lower down there, the time difference is the same. The Sunday tides are 1 hour 52 minutes later than Saturday in both Portland and Belfast.
I don't track this religiously, but I hunt and fish enough on tidal water that I have a sense, and my internal clock suggests that the tides get about 45 minutes to a little over an hour later each day, with a little variation.
And if look at the rest of this week or next week after these two weekend tides, that's what I see. 1:09 later, 1:04; 59 minutes, 54 minutes this week. And then after the weekend, 47 minutes, 47, 49, 51, 57.
Question to the collective ducky/marine minds here: Is this odd timing associated with really big tides something I've missed despite living and playing on the coast of Maine for 40+ years? Some unique phenomenon we will see this weekend?
But then I noticed something weird. Both Saturday and Sunday morning high tides are predicted to be pretty high. But what's weird is that the Sunday am high tide is almost 2 hours later than the Saturday am. My first thought was that this was related to all that water moving back and forth, as the tide site I was looking at is way up Penobscot Bay almost to the mouth of the Penobscot River. So I checked a site on the open ocean, at Portland, and while the predicted tide is a lot lower down there, the time difference is the same. The Sunday tides are 1 hour 52 minutes later than Saturday in both Portland and Belfast.
I don't track this religiously, but I hunt and fish enough on tidal water that I have a sense, and my internal clock suggests that the tides get about 45 minutes to a little over an hour later each day, with a little variation.
And if look at the rest of this week or next week after these two weekend tides, that's what I see. 1:09 later, 1:04; 59 minutes, 54 minutes this week. And then after the weekend, 47 minutes, 47, 49, 51, 57.
Question to the collective ducky/marine minds here: Is this odd timing associated with really big tides something I've missed despite living and playing on the coast of Maine for 40+ years? Some unique phenomenon we will see this weekend?
