Kip Hansen News Brief — July 3, 2024 – 700 words
With the news channels constantly reporting on hot hot hot water – Atlantic water, Gulf of Mexico water, Caribbean water, Western Pacific water off Australia – I mean, one would think the sea is boiling.
In recent weeks, another side of the story has emerged:
California Water Temperatures Drop to Dangerous Levels — June 21, 2024
“Recent temperatures measured off the coast of Crescent City [California] showed the water temperature was 47.3 degrees F, 3 degrees lower than normal for this time of year and 4 degrees lower than winter water temperatures in January.
Meteorologists and weather experts are blaming the drop in temperatures on “severe cold wave of the sea.””
“A fierce cold front is gripping the coast of Northern and Central California, with water temperatures as much as 5°F below normal,” says hurricane chaser Colin McCarthy. posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“A buoy near Crescent City reported a water temperature of 46°F yesterday. In water that cold, hypothermia can set in within 30 minutes,” he continued. “The much lower than normal water temperatures due to the strong upwelling of cold ocean water are enhancing the ocean layer or ‘natural AC,’ which keeps coastal areas cool while inland areas experience high temperatures (100-108°F in the Central Valley on Saturday).” [ Newsweek ]
Meanwhile, in the middle of the country:
NWS says Lake Michigan water temperatures have dropped nearly 20 degrees since yesterday
“The National Weather Service recorded water temperatures off Port Sheldon and South Haven dropping nearly 20 degrees since yesterday.”
“Until the water warms up again, be careful of cold water shock (don’t dive in… your body can accidentally inhale it) and hypothermia after just 1 hour,” the NWS warned in a Facebook post.
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Hypothermia:
“Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature below 35 C (95 F), can be classified as acute, subacute, or chronic. Acute hypothermia is caused by rapid loss of body heat, usually from immersion in cold water. Subacute hypothermia is usually caused by exposure to cold (below 10 C (50 F)) outdoors, combined with cold wind, wet or ill-fitting clothing, fatigue, and/or inadequate nutrition. Chronic hypothermia in at-risk individuals is usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold (below 16 C (60 F)) indoors. At-risk individuals have poor cold perception; reduced mobility; and inadequate nutrition, clothing, and heating.” [ CDC ]
Conclude:
Even in sunny Southern California, ocean water can be cold enough to cause dangerous hypothermia in the unprepared, elderly, young children, and those especially susceptible to the cold. The same goes for lake water.
Know the water temperature before swimming or letting children in the water. Surfers and other water sports enthusiasts should wear thermal protection — diving suit — suitable for temperature. Thin “skin” (1 mm) is not sufficient protection against cold water as in these two weather warnings.
Multiple representations of sea surface temperature reports “skin temperature” down to a whopping 1 mm. . Don’t let the constant drumbeat of “boiling seas” fool you – the temperature of seawater and lake water is a very local phenomenon.
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Author’s comments:
In the spirit of full disclosure, as a teenager, I was a “Southern California Surfer Boy”—just like the Beach Boys said. One calendar year, I calculate that I spent at least part of 200 (out of 365) days at the beach—in all weather conditions—despite being in high school and living more than five miles from the beach. But I was a small, skinny kid who had to have a custom surfboard that was short enough for me to handle. Today, that 8’6” board would be considered a “longboard”.With no body fat, I would get hypothermic pretty quickly and have to retreat to the sand to warm up in the sun.
In more than a decade of living on a catamaran in the Caribbean, my wife and I have discovered that ocean water temperatures vary widely, both horizontally and vertically. Warm, almost hot, at the surface, and quite cold at 20 feet. Cold here but warm 50 feet away in an erratic current.
Thanks for reading.
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