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Weather Stations Update

Originally deployed in 2012, thanks to funding from the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) through a grant from Lee County, the RECON weather stations became the first weather stations in this area located directly over the water. Designed to give researchers and boaters near real-time information on the current over water weather conditions, they quickly became the go to weather source for the local boating community. ...

The River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) is a network of water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee river and estuary to provide real-time, water quality data to scientists, policy makers, and the general public.

The extensive watersheds of the Caloosahatchee (1,400 square miles) and Lake Okeechobee (4,400 square miles) each contribute water that flows into the Caloosahatchee estuary and the Gulf of Mexico. Water quality is affected by both Lake Okeechobee discharges and runoff from the Caloosahatchee watershed. Over time, these watersheds have changed from low-nutrient loading marshes and wetlands to high loading urban and agricultural land uses. Nutrients increase turbidity and decrease concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO). In addition, excess nutrients fuel nuisance algal blooms. Losses of low-nutrient adapted communities, such as seagrasses have contributed to changes in fish, crustacean and marine mammal communities.

Real-time Data

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Map View

Zoom-in and pan to sites and obtain a quick summary of current conditions

Boater Forecast

See tide predictions, wind forecasts, and wave heights from the region

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Imperial Metric

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Marine Lab
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Redfish Pass
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Gulf of Mexico
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Description

sailboat Wind is the natural flow of gases on a large scale. On earth the this means the movement of air. Wind is caused by differences in the atmospheric (or barometric ) pressure. When a difference in pressure exists, air moves from the higher to the lower pressure area, resulting in wind. Because of the rotation of the earth, air will also be deflected by the Coriolis effect, except exactly on the equator.

In our area, wind is also affected by sea breezes. The ocean is warmed by the sun more slowly because of water's greater specific heat compared to land. As the temperature of the land rises, the land heats the air above it by conduction. The warm air is less dense than the surrounding air, and so it rises. The cooler air above the sea flows inland, creating a cooler breeze near the coast. Sea breezes only occur when the prevailing winds are low and are usually more pronounced in our area during the winter months when the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico is relativity cold compared to the land. RECON reports wind speed in Miles per Hour (mph) or Meters per Second (m/s).

The Beaufort wind force scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. It was developed in 1805 by Francis Beaufort. While not in common use today, the scale still provides a guide for determining wind speed from sea conditions.

The Beaufort Scale
Beaufort		Wind Speed			Wave
Number	Description	mph	knots	Sea Conditions	Height (Ft)
0	Calm	0	0	Sea is like a mirror	0
1	Light Air	1-3	1- 3	Ripples with appearance of scales; no foam crests	0.25
2	Light Breeze	4-7	4 -6	Small wavelets; crests of glassy appearance, not breaking	0.5 - 1
3	Gentle Breeze	8-12	7 - 10	Large wavelets; crests begin to break; scattered whitecaps	2 - 3
4	Moderate Breeze	13-18	11 - 16	Small waves, becoming longer; numerous whitecaps	3.5 - 5
5	Fresh Breeze	19-24	17 - 21	Moderate waves, taking longer form; many whitecaps; some spray	6 -8
6	Strong Breeze	25-31	22 - 27	Larger waves forming; whitecaps everywhere; more spray	9.5 - 13
7	Near Gale	32-38	28 - 33	Sea heaps up; white foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks	13.5 - 19
8	Fresh Gale	39-46	34 - 40	Moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests begin to break into spindrift; foam is blown in well-marked streaks	18 - 25
9	Strong Gale	47-54	41 - 47	High waves; sea begins to roll; dense streaks of foam; spray may begin to reduce visibility	23 - 32
10	Storm	55-63	48 - 55	Very high waves with overhanging crests; sea takes white appearance as foam is blown in very dense streaks; rolling is heavy and visibility is reduced	29 -41
11	Violent Storm	64-72	56 - 63	Exceptionally high waves; sea covered with white foam patches; visibility further reduced	37 - 52
12	Hurricane	73+	64+	Huge waves. Sea is completely white with foam and spray. Air is filled with driving spray, greatly reducing visibility.	45+

_{Disclaimer: Data presented on the RECON web site is provisional in nature and should not be used to make decisions that concern personal or public safety.}