# How do you get overheated at a beach? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928 "2011-06-01T03:27:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/1 "2011-06-01T03:27:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today that he agreed with the decision Monday by Chicago police to close North Avenue Beach after several people began showing signs of heat-related sickness. > > The beach was closed about 6 p.m. after Chicago Fire Department paramedics were called to the beach to deal with several people who required medical attention. > > At least four people were taken to area hospitals from the beach including one 18-year-old who was taken in serious-to-critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital during the Memorial Day holiday. [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-emanuel-cops-did-the-right-thing-closing-beach-20110531,0,4479451.story](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-emanuel-cops-did-the-right-thing-closing-beach-20110531,0,4479451.story) It’s been a long time since my last dip in the ocean. My last vacation to Florida was in 1989. I never had a problem getting too hot at a beach. Play some volleyball. Jump in the water and cool off. Then lay out in the sun and work on the perfect tan. Or get under a beach umbrella and take a nap. There’s always snack stands with ice cream, soda, etc. Easy enough. 😃 This news is even weirder because I recall the Great Lakes are known for cold water. Here is info I found on one of the lakes. What’s the deal with overheated people at a beach? 😕 They scared to get wet or something? > [@](#): > > It is particularly known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches. A circle tour guides highway travelers around the lakeshore. Many shipwrecks in Lake Superior are now protected in bottomland preserves and accessible to recreational divers. [http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/supfact.html](http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/supfact.html) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/2 "2011-06-01T03:29:22Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s the deal with overheated people at a beach? er, they don’t go there to swim? sit out in the sun on a hot day with little to no wind, damn sure your body won’t be able to cool itself. > [@](#): > > They scared to get wet or something? I can swim just fine, I just don’t want to. 'course, I don’t go to the beach either, so… ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/3 "2011-06-01T03:32:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > This news is even weirder because I recall the Great Lakes are known for cold water. Here is info I found on one of the lakes. > > What’s the deal with overheated people at a beach? 😕 They scared to get wet or something? Yeah, that’s basically it. It’s only May, and it’s been a fairly cold spring. A huge body of water like Lake Michigan takes a long time to warm up. Even if you are overheating, few people want to jump into ~55 degree water. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/4 "2011-06-01T03:46:51Z")
Jeebus. If you shut outdoor activities down at those kinds of temperatures, Australia would be shut for half the year. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/5 "2011-06-01T03:55:40Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Jeebus. If you shut outdoor activities down at those kinds of temperatures, Australia would be shut for half the year. This is Chicago. They start to sweat as soon as it stops snowing. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/6 "2011-06-01T06:37:14Z")
Bullshit. There have never been any beach shutdowns in Chicago due to this relatively low temperature. I can’t recall this happening even on much hotter days. Something stinks here. The commenters at this Sun-Times article agree. [http://www.suntimes.com/5684211-417/police-shut-down-north-ave.-beach-after-8-suffer-heat-related-illnesses](http://www.suntimes.com/5684211-417/police-shut-down-north-ave.-beach-after-8-suffer-heat-related-illnesses) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/7 "2011-06-01T12:32:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > This news is even weirder because I recall the Great Lakes are known for cold water. Here is info I found on one of the lakes. > > [http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/supfact.html](http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/supfact.html) Nitpick: Lake Superior != Lake Michigan. Lake Superior is freakin’ cold most of the time. If it reaches 60 degrees near the shore we consider it bath water. Lake Michigan can and does get downright balmy at times - I’ve heard it’s reached 80 degrees! That said, in May, they’re both incredibly cold and there’s no reason to overheat at the beach in that weather. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/8 "2011-06-01T12:37:54Z")
I doubt any of those that became ill were hydrating with h2o. More likely they were cooling off with Miller Lite and Old Style. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/9 "2011-06-01T12:49:04Z")
Yes, judging by the comments in the Sun Times article, the “heat” was a cover story for the fact that a large group of thugs started attacking people, knocking them off bikes them kicking them then stealing their bicycles, while the local police were seriously outnumbered by the crowds. Large groups were also fighting. With the beach over crowded and thugs running amok, they realized they would have a very dangerous situation on their hands if it continued into night. Therefore, they closed the beach to try and get everyone out and the situation under control. If closing the beach is a cover story, why bother? It’s ridiculous and social media will get the truth out quickly. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/10 "2011-06-01T17:00:26Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Yes, judging by the comments in the Sun Times article, the “heat” was a cover story for the fact that a large group of thugs started attacking people, knocking them off bikes them kicking them then stealing their bicycles, while the local police were seriously outnumbered by the crowds. Large groups were also fighting. With the beach over crowded and thugs running amok, they realized they would have a very dangerous situation on their hands if it continued into night. Therefore, they closed the beach to try and get everyone out and the situation under control. > > If closing the beach is a cover story, why bother? It’s ridiculous and social media will get the truth out quickly. I think it is kind of sad that the only way to find out this stuff is from comments on the stories rather than \*\* the actual news stories\*\*. It’s kind of pathetic how lazy conventional journalists seem to be nowadays (for example, I recall seeing a local news story about a teen who died in a car accident where the journalist quoted extensively from comments posted about the kid on her facebook page - whatever happened to actually interviewing people?) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/11 "2011-06-01T17:39:38Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Yes, judging by the comments in the Sun Times article, the “heat” was a cover story for the fact that a large group of thugs started attacking people, knocking them off bikes them kicking them then stealing their bicycles, while the local police were seriously outnumbered by the crowds. Large groups were also fighting. With the beach over crowded and thugs running amok, they realized they would have a very dangerous situation on their hands if it continued into night. Therefore, they closed the beach to try and get everyone out and the situation under control. Really, is that what happened? A local Boston beach was closed Monday because teens were getting rowdy. Was there some national facebook “get out the beach” thing? There have been times when I’ve been to the beach where it was too hot to stay out of the water but too cold to go in. On Monday was kind of like that but I opted to freeze my nuts off anyway – for half a second. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/12 "2011-06-02T00:43:43Z")
FWIW, the police superintendent says that closing the beach wasn’t because of gangs, it was because the beach was so crowded that ambulances could get to sick people: [http://www.suntimes.com/5718526-417/top-cop-mccarthy-north-ave.-beach-closing-not-linked-to-gangs](http://www.suntimes.com/5718526-417/top-cop-mccarthy-north-ave.-beach-closing-not-linked-to-gangs) I was at Foster Beach, a few miles north, and it was packed there. I know the North Ave Beach is usually a lot worse. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/13 "2011-06-02T04:04:25Z")
[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/05/31/fights\_break\_out\_at\_carson\_beach/](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/05/31/fights_break_out_at_carson_beach/) [Boston] - Fights broke out among rival gang members on Carson Beach in South Boston yesterday and spilled out across the city, triggering a massive law enforcement response from at least five agencies to stem the violence. [http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14750758/police-shut-down-wave-country-due-to-unruly-crowd](http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14750758/police-shut-down-wave-country-due-to-unruly-crowd) [Nashville] -NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nearly two dozen police officers were called out to Wave Country on Monday afternoon after large crowds of people became unruly. The disturbance forced park managers to close the facility two hours early on Memorial Day. > **[FOX 5 New York](https://www.fox5ny.com/)** > > New York news, weather, traffic and sports from FOX 5 NY serving New York City, Long Island, New York, New Jersey and Westchester County. Watch breaking news live and Good Day New York. [Long Island] - LONG BEACH, N.Y. - A Long Island police department says it had to call for backup to quell a beach melee involving hundreds of people that spilled out onto the streets and a nearby bus depot. > **[Rochester News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | WHAM](https://13wham.com/news/local/story/Mayor-Police-Chief-Promise-Order-at-Beach/IH9ZETkPPE6EBld39o0rkw.cspx)** > > 13WHAM ABC Rochester provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, health reports, notices of events and items of interest in the community, local sports and entertainment programming for Rochester and nearby towns and communities... [Rochester] - Rochester, N.Y. – A busy Memorial Day evening at the beach ended abruptly when fights broke out among at least 100 youth. [http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/31/2243787/a-dozen-officers-involved-in-fatal.html](http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/31/2243787/a-dozen-officers-involved-in-fatal.html) [Miami] - The police shooting that killed one, wounded four bystanders and shocked South Beach over the holiday weekend may be the death knell for Urban Beach Week. There were, of course, plenty of crowded areas that had no problems. Even so, WTF? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/14 "2011-06-02T04:07:41Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > FWIW, the police superintendent says that closing the beach wasn’t because of gangs, it was because the beach was so crowded that ambulances could get to sick people: > [http://www.suntimes.com/5718526-417/top-cop-mccarthy-north-ave.-beach-closing-not-linked-to-gangs](http://www.suntimes.com/5718526-417/top-cop-mccarthy-north-ave.-beach-closing-not-linked-to-gangs) From the same article: > [@](#): > > Beach patrons and riders using the lakefront bike path on Memorial Day reported an intimidating presence on the beach of, what appeared to them to be gang members. Similar problems were reported in other major cities on that day. […] > > McCarthy acknowledged that Monday’s incident marks the first time that a Chicago beach was closed for any reason other than the presence of e-coli bacteria in Lake Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/15 "2011-06-02T04:43:22Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > I think it is kind of sad that the only way to find out this stuff is from comments on the stories rather than \*\* the actual news stories\*\*. It’s kind of pathetic how lazy conventional journalists seem to be nowadays (for example, I recall seeing a local news story about a teen who died in a car accident where the journalist quoted extensively from comments posted about the kid on her facebook page - whatever happened to actually interviewing people?) I agree. How hard is it to answer who, what, where, when and why in a story? But in this case at least one local [Chicago radio show](http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2200256) speculated there was more to it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-overheated-at-a-beach/583928/16 "2011-06-02T04:54:43Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I agree. How hard is it to answer who, what, where, when and why in a story? > > But in this case at least one local [Chicago radio show](http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2200256) speculated there was more to it. Fox News in Chicago [also reported that speculation](http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/north-avenue-beach-chicago-closed-crowds-not-just-heat-20110531). (Although, note the last comment that claims there were no problems until _after_ the police closed the beach.)