You’ve probably seen it. San Diego’s beaches are even more crowded this summer than they usually are.
No doubt the summer of 2018 is shaping up to be one of the warmest.
The start today of a third 100 plus degree heat wave since early July is evidence of it with record-setting high temperatures from the coast to the mountains over this last month.
Another sign is the ocean water temperature rising to 80 degrees along some of our beaches in recent days.
On Sunday, the surface temperature of the ocean water at San Diego’s Scripps Pier was 79.4 degrees, the highest reading in the 102 years the pier has been there. And the third time in less than a week the record’s been broken
The pier, of course, is where scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography keep close track of such things as ocean water temperatures.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service say warmer ocean water temperatures along the beaches can lead to less cooling at night and more humidity during the day.
Scientists at Scripps say the unusual warmth of the ocean waters near the coast reflect the climate change that they see all over the world.
And while there may still be a debate over who or what is mostly to blame for climate change, anyone who’s lived in San Diego for more than just a few years knows something’s happening. Just ask any longtime resident if they can remember ever having to use their air conditioning as often as they have this summer.
(Photo credit San Diego Beach, Getty Images)