# East coast Dopers - is the beach water warmer than usual this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 22, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005 "2011-07-22T17:47:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/1 "2011-07-22T17:47:08Z")
A couple of weeks ago I was at a beach in Rockport, MA. I’ll bet that I’ve been at that beach a couple of dozen times, but I could never stand to be in the ice water for more than a few seconds. But this last time I was in for a good 30 minutes, longer by an order of magnitude than all of the other times combined. And just now I looked at the water temperature in Nantucket Sound – 75 degrees! That’s bathwater. Are things generally warmer along the whole coast this year? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/2 "2011-07-22T18:27:40Z")
I was at Crane Beach in Ipswich last weekend, and the official temp was 55. It definitely felt much warmer than that - my 6 year old stayed in for 30-45 minutes at a time, which probably would have put her in hypothermia if it really was 55. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/3 "2011-07-22T18:37:27Z")
I just returned from New Jersey. The water, until yesterday, was _freezing_. Yesterday it was considerably warmer (but still cold). So I’d have to answer “no”. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/4 "2011-07-22T18:49:56Z")
Maybe it’s just local then. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/5 "2011-07-22T21:30:12Z")
They just reported 70 at the Jersey shore, which is more typical of August than July, but isn’t anything too crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/6 "2011-07-22T21:32:11Z")
Two separate sets of friends with houses in York Beach ME have reported that the water is significantly warmer than usual this year. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/7 "2011-07-23T01:54:05Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I was at Crane Beach in Ipswich last weekend, and the official temp was 55. It definitely felt much warmer than that - my 6 year old stayed in for 30-45 minutes at a time, which probably would have put her in hypothermia if it really was 55. Ditto. I was there maybe two weeks ago, and the water temperature was said to be in the upper fifties, but was surely warmer. If your feet, ankles and knees don’t ache horribly until they go numb, the water is over 60 degrees, in my experience. And of course today, when the temperature hit 103 in Boston, I imagine the water was a bit warmer still – if for no other reason than that half the population of Massachusetts was floating around in it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/8 "2011-07-23T04:27:05Z")
> [@Sal\_Ammoniac](#): > > And of course today, when the temperature hit 103 in Boston, I imagine the water was a bit warmer still – if for no other reason than that half the population of Massachusetts was floating around in it. Yeah, sure, today being one of the hottest days I’ve ever experienced here. But it was nearly two weeks ago that I was in Rockport, and I could actually stay in the water for a good 20 minutes, as opposed to 2 seconds a week before that. I’m going to be on MV for the next week. I’m wondering if the water temp might exceed the air temp at some times. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/9 "2011-07-23T04:30:11Z")
> [@Sal\_Ammoniac](#): > > Ditto. I was there maybe two weeks ago, and the water temperature was said to be in the upper fifties, but was surely warmer. If your feet, ankles and knees don’t ache horribly until they go numb, the water is over 60 degrees, in my experience. And of course today, when the temperature hit 103 in Boston, I imagine the water was a bit warmer still – if for no other reason than that half the population of Massachusetts was floating around in it. According to the news tonight, the bacteria count is way up at Revere, Lynn, and Nahant beaches. So, ironically, people are suppose to stay out of the water now. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/10 "2011-07-23T17:20:22Z")
Maybe the bacteria count was up _because_ so many people were floating in it. Doesn’t bear thinking about. In any event, I just noticed yesterday that the weather section in [Boston.com](http://Boston.com) gives a temperature for the surf – 71 degrees, as it happened. Wonder where they take the measurement. Logan, probably. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/11 "2011-07-24T04:15:54Z")
I went to the beach in Newburyport, MA a couple of weekends ago, and it was definitely warmer than I expected for early July. Not 75F, but not cramp-your-feet cold like normal, either. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/12 "2011-07-25T02:47:34Z")
I was at Salisbury Beach two weeks ago and I suppose it was a bit warmer, but it was still cold. Took some getting used to, but I did get in almost all the way. My 10year old and his buddy were in it almost the entire 4 or 5 hours we were there, though, and neither one was blue! Here in North Central MA, the lakes are like bathwater right now. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/13 "2011-07-25T18:41:47Z")
Jersey shore resident here. It was definitely warmer than usual up until the heat wave. Temps hit the 70s by mid-June. That wouldn’t normally happen until Mid/late July. Weather patterns have resulted in on shore breezes more so than normal. This pushes the sun warmed surface water onto the beaches. Winds became off shore during the heat wave and pushed the surface water back out to sea. The colder bottom water then replaces it (called “upwelling”). On the hottest day of the year (maybe ever) the surf was the coldest its been since May. It felt good after the initial jolt, though and made for a relatively cool breeze when the wind turned around late in the day. Speaking of jolts, rafting in the Grand Canyon offered air temps of 110+ and water temps in the high 40s near Glen Canyon Dam. Simply breath-taking. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/14 "2011-07-25T18:56:50Z")
I was paddling in Georgian Bay the other weekend. Normally, in that particular area, I hate going into the water because it’s so cold. We spent a whole day swimming, because the water was reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/15 "2011-07-26T00:10:09Z")
You can check current and historical data on coastal water temperatures [here.](http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/natl_tmap.html) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/16 "2011-07-26T00:29:25Z")
Haven’t been to the beach but our pool is so hot that it becomes unusable for cooling down after around 2pm. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/17 "2011-07-26T01:37:11Z")
Sorry. That was me. I had a Big Gulp[sup]®[/sup] earlier… ---
**Author:** ![YourAdHere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/65b543/32.png) [@YourAdHere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourAdHere)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/east-coast-dopers-is-the-beach-water-warmer-than-usual-this-year/590005/18 "2011-07-26T03:22:14Z")
I was in seabrook beach nh last week and it was much warmer than usual, plus there were actually waves big enough for surfers, but I went again yesterday and it was back to it’s numbing coldness. Still mighty refreshing though. I figured it was just bc of a storm. Btw, I’m there all the time in the summer and am always looking for ppl to go with, so if you’re ever in the Salisbury or Hampton area hit me up