News Brief by Kip Hansen — 3 July 2024 – 700 words
With the news channels banging on about hot hot hot water – Atlantic water, Gulf of Mexico water, the Caribbean water, Western Pacific water off of Australia — I mean, one would think the seas are boiling.
In the last couple of weeks, the another side of the story has emerged:
California Water Temperatures Drop to Dangerous Levels — Jun 21, 2024
“A recent temperature reading off the coast of Crescent City [California] revealed that water temperatures were 47.3 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 3 degrees below normal for this time of year and 4 degrees below winter water temperatures in January.
Meteorologists and weather experts are blaming the temperature plunge on an “intense marine cold spell.””
“”An intense marine cold spell is gripping the Northern and Central California coast, with water temperatures up to 5°F below normal,” storm chaser Colin McCarthy posted on X (formerly Twitter).
He continued: “A buoy near Crescent City reported a water temperature of 46°F yesterday. In waters that cold, hypothermia can occur in as little as 30 minutes. These well below normal water temperatures due to strong upwelling of cold ocean water are enhancing the marine layer or ‘natural AC,’ keeping coastal areas cool while inland areas experience intense heat (100-108°F in the Central Valley Saturday).” [ Newsweek ]
Meanwhile, in the middle of the country:
Lake Michigan water temperature drops nearly 20 degrees since yesterday, NWS says
“The U.S. National Weather Service saw nearly 20-degree water temperature drops offshore from Port Sheldon and South Haven since yesterday.”
“”Until the water warms back up, beware of cold water shock (don’t dive into the water… your body may involuntarily inhale), and hypothermia after just 1 hour,” the NWS warned in their Facebook post.”
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Hypothermia:
“Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature lower than 35 C (95 F), may be classified as acute, sub-acute, or chronic. Acute hypothermia is caused by a rapid loss of body heat, usually from immersion in cold water. Sub-acute hypothermia often occurs from exposure to cool weather (below 10 C (50 F)) outdoors, in combination with wind chill, wet or inadequate clothing, fatigue, and/or inadequate nutrition. Chronic hypothermia in predisposed persons generally occurs from exposure to cold temperatures (below 16 C (60 F)) indoors over a prolonged period. Predisposed persons have an impaired perception of cold; decreased mobility; and inadequate nutrition, clothing, and heating systems.” [ CDC ]
Bottom Line:
Even in sunny southern California, sea water can be cold enough to cause dangerous hypothermia in the unprepared, the old, the very young and those especially susceptible to cold. The same is true of lake water.
Know the water temperature before you swim or let your children enter the water. Surfers and other water sports enthusiasts should wear thermal protection — wet suits — appropriate to the temperature. Thin “skins” ( 1 mm) are not enough protection for water as cold as in these two weather alerts.
Many representations of sea surface temperature report “skin temperature” down to a whopping 1 mm. . Don’t be fooled by the constant drumbeat of “boiling seas” – the temperature of the sea water and lake water is a very local phenomena.
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Author’s Comment:
In the spirit of full disclosure, as a teen, I was a “Southern California Surfer Boy” — right out of a Beach Boys’ song. One calendar year, I calculated that I had spent at least some part of 200 (out of 365) days on the beach — in all weathers — despite attending high school and living more than 5 miles from the beach. But, I was a small, skinny kid and had to have a custom surfboard made short enough for me to handle. Today, that 8’6” board would be considered a “long board”. With no body fat to speak of, I would get hypothermic fairly rapidly and retreat to the sand to warm up in the Sun.
During our decade+ living on our sailing catamaran in the Caribbean, my wife and I discovered that the sea water temperature was wildly variable, horizontally and vertically. Warm, almost hot, at the surface, and quite cold at 20 feet. Cold here but warm 50 feet away in a errant current.
Thanks for reading.
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