Warmer water washing toward Jersey Shore

 The ocean water near the Jersey Shore is starting to get warmer. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo, file)

The ocean water near the Jersey Shore is starting to get warmer. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo, file)

Just in time for the weekend, the ocean water near the Jersey Shore is starting to get warmer.

After southwest winds caused ocean temperatures to be as much as 15 degrees below normal the past two weeks, the winds have shifted and are now coming from the north, says Josh Kohut, a professor of oceanography at Rutgers University.

“That warm water that was pushed offshore is now going to get pushed back toward the beach by the winds,” said Kohut. “And the cold water that brought up to the beach is actually pushed back down into the deeper parts of the ocean.”

Seaside Park Beach Patrol Capt. Joe Gomulka said the waves of warmer water are making the ocean more attractive for beach-goers.

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“The water is a little warmer. People will be able to get in a little more. I mean people have been in the water, but they don’t venture out too far or too long,” he said. “They kind of take a dip and come right out.”

Beach-goers might not have much time to take advantage of the warmer water.

Kohut says the southwest winds are expected to return next week and bring colder water back to the coastline.

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