Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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SCIENCE

The Claim

Storm tide is defined as the sum of base sea level, astronomical tide, and storm surge.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

Authoritative definitions do not support the three-part formula given here. Storm tide is consistently defined as storm surge added to the astronomical tide; “base sea level” is generally a reference datum or baseline for measurement, not a separate definitional component. As written, the claim adds an unsupported extra term.

Caveats

  • Do not confuse a vertical datum or baseline sea level with a physical contributor to storm tide.
  • Broader “total water level” concepts may include other factors, but that does not change the standard definition of storm tide.
  • Adding “base sea level” as a separate term risks double-counting the baseline and misstates standard agency definitions.

The Receipts

  1. Storm Surge Overview - NOAA

    NOAA

  2. What is storm surge? - NOAA's National Ocean Service

    NOAA's National Ocean Service

  3. Defining Storm Surge, Storm Tide, and Inundation - Ocean Weather.Gov

    Ocean Weather.Gov

  4. EarthWord – Storm Tide | U.S. Geological Survey - USGS

    U.S. Geological Survey - USGS

  5. USGS Storm Words: Storm tide | U.S. Geological Survey

    U.S. Geological Survey

  6. Storm Tides (MH0704) - UNDRR

    UNDRR

  7. Understanding Coastal Flooding Terminology - National Weather Service

    National Weather Service

  8. Storm Surge Overview - National Weather Service

    National Weather Service

  9. Storm Surge - Coastal Systems Group - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

  10. What Are Storm Surges & Storm Tides? | Flood Risk America

    Flood Risk America

+ 1 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Astronomical TideBase Sea LevelStorm Tide