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Water-gate update: Those record Jersey Shore ocean temperatures were too high, NOAA says

The low readings during the "upwelling" events in July and August were accurate, NOAA says.

Beachgoers carry their stuff toward the sand dunes and the beach in Margate, outfitted for a day at the Jersey Shore, where ocean temperatures became a source of controversy.
Beachgoers carry their stuff toward the sand dunes and the beach in Margate, outfitted for a day at the Jersey Shore, where ocean temperatures became a source of controversy.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

For those who suspected that the government’s ocean temperature sensor at Atlantic City was running a fever when it reported record readings in the mid-80s last month, your skepticism was merited.

Those temperatures were “too high,” Jennie Lyons, a spokesperson for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said Thursday.

Not to worry: No one is in hot water: The sensor suffered an “electronic failure,” Lyons said in an email to The Inquirer.

» READ MORE: In August, the ocean was appeared to be too warm to be true

And evidently NOAA isn’t terribly concerned about getting it fixed quickly, since the station’s primary mission is monitoring tides. “Water temperature is considered a ‘secondary’ sensor system,” said Lyons.

Besides, fixing that thing isn’t exactly like replacing batteries in a flashlight.

“These systems are mounted 15 to 30 feet below the water; and require a certified diver to work on them,” said Lyons. “Not everyone in our field teams is diver-certified.” The responsible field office is in Chesapeake, Va., which covers the entire East Coast.

It is not known when the repair folks will show up in Atlantic City, and the temperature sensor remains offline.

Lyons said the readings in the mid-50s during the July and August “upwelling” events were deemed accurate.

» READ MORE: The "upwelling" low temperatures made the high readings all the more incredible.

At issue was the three-day run of ultrahigh temperatures late in August. The water temperature off Atlantic City was recorded as 84.7 at 6 p.m. on Aug. 24 — 28.9 degrees higher than it was two weeks prior.

The standing record had been 83.3 degrees, set on Aug. 10, 2016, said Jim Eberwine, retired marine meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly and now Absecon’s emergency management chief. The water temperature readings date to 1911.

For now, it is unclear exactly when they will resume.