Are Florida oceans too hot to swim in? What to know before you go - Palm Beach Post
Are Florida oceans too hot to swim in? What to know before you go
Florida's ocean water temperatures are high. But are they too hot for you to swim?
Lianna Norman
This week the surface ocean temperature of the some of the waters around Florida reached 100 degrees, near-hot tub heat levels, threatening the well-being of billions of marine animals that live in the oceans surrounding the state.
But the record-breaking heat wave and corresponding anomalous spike in ocean temperature isn’t just affecting animals, people are affected as well. This side effect of climate change tampers with the state’s seafood supply chain and affects careers tied to the ocean, like jobs in fishing and ocean-centered tourism.
If you’re planning to go to the beach to take a dip in the ocean and cool down this summer, you might want to check how hot the water is first. Here’s everything you need to know about Florida’s rising water temperatures and how hot is too hot for swimming.
How hot is the ocean in Florida right now?
Here are the some of the water temperatures around Florida on July 28, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information’s real-time interactive map:
- Key West: 89.2 degrees Fahrenheit, 31.8 degrees Celsius
- Venice: 87.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 30.9 degrees Celsius
- Clearwater Beach: 89.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 31.9 degrees Celsius
- Apalachicola: 89.8 degrees Fahrenheit, 32.1 degrees Celsius
- Jacksonville University: 85.8 degrees Fahrenheit, 29.9 degrees Celsius
- St. Augustine: 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit, 29 degrees Celsius
- Port Canaveral: 87.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 30.9 degrees Celsius
- Lake Worth Pier: 86.9 degrees Fahrenheit, 30.5 degrees Celsius
Why is the water in Florida so hot?
Simply put, the rise in water temperature is due to a combination of things. Long-term changes in the earth’s climate are a contributing factor, but so is the lack of wind on the surface of Florida’s oceans, which is a side effect of climate change.
South Florida has been struggling under a lingering high-pressure system with reduced trade winds, which helps raise water and air temperatures, Jeff Masters, a meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections, told USA TODAY.
A blocked pattern seen in the jet stream over North America this summer is to blame for the heat waves and has been linked to climate change by multiple climate scientists, according to reporting from USA TODAY.
The Earth is getting hotter: How heat domes, El Niño and greenhouse gases all play a part.
What is a safe temperature to swim in the ocean?
According to a report from Livestrong about the effects of water temperature when swimming, water that is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit can lead to overheating and exhaustion.
“Warm water increases your body temperature, which also raises your sweat rate and quickens dehydration,” the report says. “Open-water swimming in warm climates can expose you to water temperatures that are too warm, which can cause muscle spasms and severe fatigue.”
This week, water temperature recorded at a buoy south of Miami recorded the water temperature at more than 11 degrees hotter than is safe for people to swim in, at 101.1 degrees on Monday evening.
How hot water is killing coral: '100% coral mortality' found at Florida Keys reef due to rising temperatures
Where in Florida was the hottest sea surface temperature recorded?
Monday’s 101.1 degree water surface temperature was recorded by a buoy in Manatee Bay off the West Coast of Key Largo.
According to a 2020 study by a team of research scientists at the Environmental and Life Science Research Center at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, the unofficial world record for sea surface temperature before Monday’s record in Manatee Bay was 99.7 degrees in Kuwait Bay in the Persian Gulf.
Sea surface temperature readings are considered unofficial/unverified because no one keeps official sea surface temperature records, Masters told USA TODAY.
What water temperature is unsafe to swim in?
According to a warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission on hot tub temperatures, 106 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which water becomes unsafe for humans to submerge.
"Soaking in a hot tub with water heated to 106 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, can raise human body temperature to the point of heat stroke (or impairment of the body's ability to regulate its internal temperature)," the CPSC's report says. "These conditions can be fatal even to fully healthy adults."
Lianna Norman covers trending news in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.