Looking for relief from this summer-like heat on Memorial Day weekend? Read this before taking a swim in the Atlantic.
If you're planning to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean to beat the summer-like heat that has swept across New Jersey this holiday weekend, be prepared for a rude awakening.
Despite the sunshine and steamy air, the water temperatures are still on the cold side heading into Memorial Day.
Unless you're a veteran Polar Bear Club plunger who can handle 35-degree water temperatures in the middle of winter (that's the average ocean temp in Atlantic City in February), you might have trouble dipping your body into the ocean this weekend, when water temperatures will be struggling to reach 60 degrees.
That might sound warm, but it's not.
Just ask Gabriella Connor, who decided to go for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean in Belmar on Wednesday, on a near-perfect beach day.
"It looked so nice. The water looked so calm and beautiful," she said. "But it was very cold."
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Connor, who works at the Belmar Beachfront Department, said she wasn't alone. Lots of people on the beach in Belmar went in for a dip that day, but most of them quickly returned to the sand after feeling the chilly water.
On Thursday, another nice day that drew big crowds to beaches along the Jersey Shore, the ocean temperature was 58 degrees in Atlantic City, which is average for this time of the year, but cooler in Belmar, where the ocean reading was 55 degrees.
Here's a look at the average ocean temperatures throughout the spring and summer seasons at several sites monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.