The year 2023 saw something that's never been experienced before in recent history. The ocean temperature off the southern coast of Florida reached a blistering 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

You literally can forget about the hot tub with ocean temperatures like that. It's simply unheard of for coastal waters along the states to get that warm.

Now, could this actually be something that's happened in the past away from the United States coastline? Perhaps. Maybe we just haven't had the ability to record it based on where it may have occurred.

And yes, maybe ocean temps like this have happened regularly long before we had the ability to record them. Or maybe even before people first walked the Earth.

We're not going to get into the debate over manmade climate change vs. natural climate cycles. Regardless of the cause, the planet and its oceans are warming at a very fast rate.

And that brings us to the coastline here in New Jersey. Although our oceans aren't breaking 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they have been unusually warm.

ADVERTISEMENT

In fact, we've had some 80-degree temperatures at times off our coast back in July 2023. That's something we don't normally see so early on in the summer season.

Now of course as winds and storm systems change, so can the water temperatures. So yes, those ocean temps fluctuate here and there throughout the season.

But it's the bigger picture we have to look at here. Those waters are getting warmer whether we like it or not.

And even though those warming temps might be nice to enjoy a swim, it's not good news for storms that might come our way.

Tropical storms and hurricanes are the biggest concern. A hurricane in particular needs at least 80-degree water temperatures to help it gain strength.

And with warmer waters becoming more common off our coast, it only gives more fuel for a storm to maintain or gain strength should it come our way.

It's for this reason that New Jersey homeowners and businesses need to prepare now. Especially if their home or business is located right along the Jersey Shore.

Now no, you don't need to board anything up or stock up on food supplies if there's no immediate danger. Although you should have a plan in place at the least.

But there is one action you can take now that could potentially save you thousands or more down the road. And that action is to review your insurance coverage very carefully.

Just look at what happened to so many after Superstorm Sandy. So many people in the state got screwed because the storm changed from being called a hurricane just before hitting our coastline in October 2012.

Far too many New Jersey residents and businesses got the runaround from their insurance companies which simply isn't fair. Which is why the language in a policy is so important.

And nobody should have to go through that if a storm suddenly changes its status literally moments before it strikes. If you're paying for insurance protection, it should be paid out.

Just take a look at the open Atlantic where ocean temperatures are also abnormally warm. On September 8, 2023, Hurricane Lee became a category 5 after explosive growth and strengthening due in part to super warm ocean waters (the below photo is not of Hurricane Lee).

Super-strong storms like that would only have more fuel to keep them strong should they come up the coast and affect New Jersey. It's just the reality of what abnormally warm waters can contribute to.

And with ocean waters so warm right along the Shore, it would be wise to double-check your insurance policies to ensure you have the proper coverage and change any language that might be outdated.

Even getting some legal assistance to review your policy to ensure you're properly protected might be wise. In the end, you should have peace of mind knowing you'll get paid out in a timely manner for any storm that might come your way.

Regardless of a storm classification changes at the last minute, it shouldn't matter. Yes, progress has been made to address this issue after Sandy in 2012, but it doesn't mean loopholes still do not exist in your policy.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.

Sunday is not fun day at this Jersey Shore beach.

New Jersey officials are in a stand-off with a local religious group that controls the resort town of Ocean Grove, which says thou shalt not go to the beach before noon on the Lord’s day.

Government officials say that is clear violation of the separation of church and state, and sent a warning to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group that operates the beach just south of Asbury Park, earlier this month:

“The purpose of this warning is to advise you of the . . . potential violation and to provide you with an opportunity to voluntarily take corrective actions,” said the letter from Robert H. Clark of the state Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement.

The Christian Methodist group has an unusual agreement with the Monmouth County township that allows it to restrict beach access on Sunday mornings during the summer.

But the state Department of Environmental Protection says the chains and padlocks barring beach-goers on Sunday mornings violate the public-access rules in the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, according to NJ.com.

The association’s president, Michael Badger, argued that closure “enhances religious and secular quality of life experiences in Ocean Grove,” the outlet reported.

The community group Neptune United has been protesting the closures since Memorial Day, according to reports. Founder Shane Martins said beach goers bypass the restrictions and are confronted by defenders of the Sunday policy. Police reportedly refrain from removing both the barriers and the bypassers.

The camp meeting association has been the center of controversy in the past, the New Jersey Patch reported.

Earlier this year, criticism came after the group rebuilt a cross-shaped pier near the waterfront.

What do you think? Post a comment.

In 2007, it refused to give a lesbian couple a permit to get married on the boardwalk. They sued the group and won.

Ocean Grove, a small town of about 3,000 residents, is known by some as “God’s Square Mile.”

Any voter may apply for vote-by-mail by completing the Application for Vote-By-Mail Ballot and returning the application to their County Clerk.

After you complete your Vote-By-Mail Ballot, return your ballot by one of three ways, mail it back, place it in one of your county’s Secure Ballot Drop Box Locations or return it to your County Board of Elections Office.

Here are some easy, step-by-step instructions on how to complete your vote-by-mail ballot, to make sure your vote counts.

NOTE: Your Vote-By-Mail ballot CANNOT be returned to your In-Person Early Voting Poll Location or your Election Day Poll Location.

Every Active registered voter is eligible to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

Please contact your county clerk to submit a request. If you would like to receive your ballot by mail you must request your ballot not less than 7 days before an election.

General Election – October 31, 2023

Otherwise, you must get your vote-by-mail ballot in-person from your county clerk, by 3 p.m. the day before Election Day.

General Election – November 6, 2023

You have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return your ballot to the Board of Elections in person or deposit it in one of your county’s secure authorized ballot drop boxes. You can also mail your ballot, it must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

You can find your County Clerk contact information here.

You can check on the status of your vote-by-mail ballot using the Track My Ballot Portal online or you can contact your County Clerk.

You can find your County Clerk contact information here.

First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of their SSN Number to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to "Voter Search" or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)

Yes, voters can track their vote-by-mail ballot through the Track My Ballot Portal.

First time users have to create an account and will need either a Voter ID Number, a Driver’s License Number, or the last 4 digits of SSN to validate voter registration status. (If you don’t know your Voter ID number, you can obtain it by going to "Voter Search" or contact your Superintendent of Elections or Commissioner of Registration)

Every vote-by-mail ballot that is postmarked on or before Election Day, and that is received on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls shall be considered valid and shall be canvassed, assuming the ballot meets all other statutory requirements.

General Election – November 13, 2023

Additionally, every mail-in ballot that does not bear a postmark date but is received by the county board of elections by delivery of the United States Postal Service before or within forty-eight (48) hours (2 days) of the closing of polls, shall be considered valid and shall be canvassed, assuming the ballot meets all other statutory requirements.

Every valid vote-by-mail ballot is counted.

Be sure to complete and sign the certificate attached to the inner envelope when you return your vote-by- mail ballot. Be sure to leave the certificate attached to the inner envelope. Do not put it inside the inner envelope. If you are going to mail your ballot, it must be postmarked ON or BEFORE Election Day and received by your county Board of Elections by 8 pm on the sixth day after the close of the polls. If you are not sure if your ballot will arrive in time, you can drop it off in person at the county Board of Elections or one of the county’s secure authorized ballot drop boxes. Contact your Board of Elections for drop-off locations. If you are dropping your ballot off in-person, you must do so by 8 pm on Election Day.

“Bearers” FAQs

A person who transports a voted (completed) vote by mail ballot for someone else is considered a "Bearer". Bearers are limited to three (3) non-household ballots per election, except that an authorized bearer may transport up to five (5) ballots in an election if those voters are immediate family members residing in the same household as the bearer.

Any Bearer Ballots that exceed the limit must be REJECTED. If the Bearer is hand-delivering the ballot to the county Board of Elections, then he/she MUST SHOW ID AND SIGN the Bearer Book. It is against the law for anyone except you, the voter, to mail or transport your ballot unless the outer envelope is sealed and the “Bearer Portion” is completed.

Rough waves and dangerous rip currents whipped up by the hurricane, along with coastal flooding, are forecast to continue on Wednesday.

|Updated Wed, Aug 30, 2023 at 12:39 pm ET

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Hurricane Franklin is disrupting the final days of summer, whipping up dangerous rip currents and rough surf that led to at least one Jersey Shore beach being nearly completely closed to access on Tuesday.

"BEACH CLOSED" was the sign that greeted beachgoers Tuesday at Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant Beach, with staff telling visitors and a reporter that the beach was closed due to rough waves.

Lisa Lightbody, marketing director for Jenkinson's, said in spite of what a reporter was told by staff at the beach, there was a gate open at Arnold Avenue, allowing access on Tuesday.

Other beaches in Ocean County were fully open to those who wanted to walk on the sand. No swimming was being permitted at some beaches, while at others the beach patrol was keeping an eye on the conditions.

Hurricane Franklin, which is a Category 4 with winds of more than 140 miles per hour, is expected to stay far out in the Atlantic Ocean as it passes northwest of Bermuda. But the power of the storm is expected to cause dangerous rip currents that may last several days, the National Weather Service said.

Find out what's happening in Point Pleasantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra said Jenkinson's determines the status of its privately owned beaches. The borough's beach at Maryland Avenue was open Tuesday, he said.

Farther south, Toms River's beach patrol was not permitting swimming in Ortley Beach, but was allowing people on the sand, officials said. That policy was expected to continue Wednesday, depending on the weather.

Seaside Heights Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz said the borough's beaches were open Tuesday and he anticipated they would be open Wednesday.

"The beach patrol is actively monitoring the conditions," Vaz said. "We have lifeguards scheduled, so a closure of the beach for us would likely only mean that we keep people out of the water if conditions dictate. Unless we have a lot of rain we would keep the beach open even if people cannot enter the ocean."

The National Weather Service Mount Holly office forecast warns of a high risk of rip currents through Wednesday evening, with a coastal flood advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday to early Wednesday. Up to a half-foot of water above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways, the weather service said.

The surf heights are forecast at 3 to 5 feet, calming slightly on Wednesday, and thunderstorms are likely on Wednesday between breaks of sunshine.

There could be an elevated risk of rip currents through the end of the week, the weather service said.

"Unusually high astronomical tides” are also possible along the Jersey Shore in the evening this week, with the full moon.

NOTE: This article has been updated with comment from Jenkinson's on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Factors like warming ocean temperatures in recent years have prompted an increase in shark activity off the Jersey Shore, experts say.

Patch Staff

Posted Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 11:09 am ET|

NEW JERSEY —There has been an increase in shark sightings near the Jersey Shore in recent years, and experts are reminding people what to do if they see a tell-tale fin in the water.

Rich Weddle, curator at SEA LIFE Aquarium at the American Dream Mall, told NJ 101.5 that there have been more near-shore sightings in New Jersey in 2023, and also in recent years.

Weddle, a marine biologist, said sharks are also drawn to the New Jersey coast for food and come north in the summer. Some shark species, such as sandbar sharks and sand tiger sharks, use the shallow bay waters as nurseries, he said.

RELATED: Shark Attack Seriously Injuries Woman At NYC Beach

Weddle recently discussed several recent shark attacks on Long Island, and said the sharks are attracted by larger fish, which gather to feed on bait fish in shallow waters. Related article — 5th Shark Attack Confirmed On Long Island In 2 Days: Police

Find out what's happening in Across New Jerseywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Every once in a while, they'll accidentally grab a hand or a foot while they're feeding," he said.

Lifeguards can use drone video to track groups of sharks, collectively called a "shiver," Weddle explained in an Instagram post.

Already in 2023, a teen surfer was bitten by a shark off the Jersey Shore. The animal tracking research organization OCEARCH also tracked several great white sharks near the shore this year – a 522-pound shark named “Penny” on Memorial Day, and a 700-pound shark named “Hali” in mid-April.

Last year, a string of sharks were pinged near the Garden State, including Tancook, a 9-foot, 7-inch juvenile white shark, located off the coast of Atlantic City on May 4, as well as Ironbound, a 1,000-pound shark. A 12-foot great white shark was also seen less than a mile off the coast of Townsends Inlet near Sea Isle City on June 4, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Factors like warming ocean temperatures in recent years have prompted an increase in shark activity and expanded northward migration patterns in areas along the New Jersey coast, according to the Princeton-based Shark Research Institute. For example, a 2022 study shows tiger sharks have begun appearing much farther north than is typical, because the water has gotten warmer.

"...off the northeast United States, where it was historically way too cold for tiger sharks, these waters have now warmed to suitable levels for tiger sharks and they’ve moved into those areas," the study by shark researcher Neal Hammerschlag stated.

In New Jersey, four shark attacks have been recorded since 1962, according to the company’s interactive map and Patch reporting. None of them were fatal. Related article —Shark Attacks In NJ: How Common Are They Off The Shore?

The most recent case of a shark injuring someone was May 21 off the Jersey Shore at Stone Harbor, when a Pennsylvania teen was bitten by a shark. First-time surfer Maggie Drozdowski told NBC10 Philadelphia she “felt something pressing.”

Before that, data shows there had not been a shark attack since 2013 in Bay Head. There was also a shark attack in 2011 in Egg Harbor, and one incident at Adventure Aquarium in 2009 where a shark bit a volunteer diver.

OCEARCH has tips on how to stay safe in the water this season:

Assess Water Conditions

- Pay attention to lifeguard warnings: Check the lifeguard stands at the beach before you go into the water, to see if there are any precautions posted for surf and current conditions as well as any dangerous marine life in the area.

- Rip currents: Before you go into the water, make sure you assess the area you are entering. Your trip to the beach is 132 times more likely to end in drowning than it is with a shark bite, Ocearch said. The biggest beach risks are undertows, strong currents, and rip currents. A rip current is a powerful channel of water that flows away from the shore. If you find yourself in a rip current, remain calm and swim parallel to the shore. Then follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle. Do not swim against the current. If you are unsure about water conditions you can reach out to your local lifeguard or click here.

- Don’t swim in the food chain: Every time you step into the ocean you are stepping into the wild, but there are easy ways to minimize your risk of an interaction with a shark or other predatory fish, Ocearch said. Avoid swimming in areas with a lot of activity such as birds diving, fish jumping or seals swimming. You don’t want to swim out in the middle of the food chain and be mistaken for a fish, dolphin, seal or other prey. Instead, move to a quieter section of the beach.

- Be cautious of marine life: While most marine life is harmless, it’s important to be cautious, Ocearch said. Avoid touching or approaching unfamiliar sea creatures, as some may be poisonous or aggressive. If stung by a jellyfish or other marine creature, seek medical attention.

- Safety in numbers: When possible, swim with a buddy. Having someone with you increases safety as they can provide help or call for assistance if needed. Do not swim far out where sharks may be patrolling.

- Swim in the ocean during the day: Don’t swim between dusk and dawn, when sharks have less visual information to tell them you are not what they are looking for, Ocearch said.

- Avoid shiny jewelry and bright-colored bathing suits: Marine animals can be attracted to shiny objects or mistake bright colors for fish scales and may mistake it as prey, Ocearch said. If you wear bright colors or jewelry, stay aware of your surroundings.

- Avoid swimming with an open wound or cut: Sharks and other predatory fish can be attracted to the scent of blood, so it is best to avoid swimming if you are bleeding, Ocearch added. Open wounds can also get infected by bacteria in the water so it is important to cover the wound with protective measures such as a waterproof bandage.

- Protect your skin: Apply sunscreen to protect your skin against harmful UV rays and reapply often throughout the day.

- Stay hydrated: If you’re spending extended periods of time in the sun or saltwater, make sure you drink plenty of water. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and increase the risk of accidents.

- Lightning: Lightning strikes at the beach are a far greater risk than shark bites, Ocearch said. If lightning is seen or thunder is heard anywhere in the area, get off the beach until the storm passes. Don’t wait until the storm is upon you.

This article contains reporting from Patch's Nicole Rosenthal.