Surface ocean temperatures around southern Florida hit levels you can find in a hot tub, not an ocean. This week, waters in the Everglades National Park reached a high of 101.19 degrees Fahrenheit (38.44 Celsius).
A water temperature buoy located inside the Everglades National Park in the waters of Manatee Bay hit a high of 101.19 degrees Fahrenheit (38.44 Celsius) late Monday afternoon, U.S. government data showed, while other buoys nearby topped 100F (38C) and the upper 90s (32C).
Not only do these temperatures make it tough for swimmers to cool off, but they also take a toll on marine life. Coral bleaches and dies, for example. As you can tell, it’s a Gulf-wide phenomenon, and high ocean temperatures are a global feature this summer.
Decades ago, I learned not to visit Florida in the summer, especially August, after my parents retired there. This recent sea of very warm water means cooler land temperatures surrounding the Gulf will be a long time arriving this fall. It even has an implication for Midwest farmers.
While we have through no fault of our own escaped triple digits and are gasping by on just enough rain, getting though the summer may not be our biggest challenge. Too many times I have fretted through July and August trying to grow acceptable yields while forgetting possible harvest downpours from super juicy hurricanes meandering for days up from the Gulf as they fizzle out.
Memories of ripe crops in standing water, storm-flattened stalks, machines clogged with mud, and ruts in the field easily spring to mind. The Gulf is set up for such a monsoon harvest for us thanks to that record warm pool of precipitation fuel.
Our meteorologists will be all over this, I’m sure. Not being able to a good crop out of the field would be a dismal way to end an anxious growing season.
