Sure it's concerning if it were "true." The article is based on data from a National Parks Service water quality buoy in Manatee Bay. It is located just east of US 1 as you head south to the Keys. There are several science problems with this article and others that have been published - the least of which is that NOAA has not validated the data.

I was a NOAA scientist for over a quarter century and when I first saw this "record" reported by Tony Mainolfi of WESH 2, I knew it was very likely erroneous. Yup, I screamed at the TV! Think about it, for those with pools or go to the pools in the Villages - is the water temperature over 100? Over 95? (Maybe more like 90 for a max.) Thermometers in our cars will register 110 F plus in the summer - but is that valid? "It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”

After looking at a plot of the data - my first thought is that the buoy ran aground or was up-ended and was measuring un-aspirated air temperatures. Marine water temperatures just do not vary 10 F through the day like inland air temperatures do. Also, the "annual record" maximum air temperature from Key West is 97 F (from 1956) - we all know it's cooler by the water.

NDBC - 5-day plot - Water Temperature at MNBF1

Current data looks to me like the buoy is back home in the water and reporting "more accurate" data.

Anyway - yes water temperatures are "abnormally" warm:
https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/cb/ss...ly.current.png

But wind shear related to the El Nino / Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is generally more important tropical cyclone intensity.

Speaking of records: My Earth Science textbook from 50 years ago listed the world's record temperature as 136°F on 13 Sept 1922, in Aziziya, Libya. 90 years later, that record was classified as "invalid" by the World Meteorological Society. Just Saying ......

Do you believe that LBSF1, BWSF1, LSNF1, HCEF1, and DKKF1 also ran aground or were upended? They show the same general curve on the same days as MNBF1 and current data also looks to be "more accurate."

Six sensors showing similar temperature profiles make it look like something is happening other than a single upended buoy.

Who would have ever think the ocean could get to 101F. Who would ever of think that it could be over 110F for over 30 days in a row in El Paseo. Who would have ever think that July the earth would have the highest avg temp ever recorded.

There is a positive side to the warming of water in Fl., in 10 years you'll be able to get boiled lobster directly from the ocean.

EDIT: It is interesting to note that on the peak days MNBF1 registered a temperature about six degrees higher than the other buoys. However, today the temperatures are very close. They all would have experienced the same heating and cooling due to the time of day but perhaps something out of the ordinary happened with MNBF1 to cause only that buoy to have the exceptionally high reading.

I totally agree with your comment. It hasn't been that long ago when we discovered the depletion in the ozone layer was caused by chlorofluorocarbons, and by eliminating these man-made substances (I believe the coolant in air conditioners being one of the more problematic causes) the ozone layer has mostly repaired itself, thus reducing the number of victims from skin cancer. We can poo poo the weather being caused by mankind all we want, but I'll have to agree with the weather experts that we are in the midst of global warming and the cause is us.

I am not concerned in the least

All Don’t Agree
 

I agree that there isn’t a consensus on the cause of “climate change”. Many hypotheses are unproven for now. The things we cannot change like the Earth’s orbit, El Niño, brightening of the sun and the axis tilts are the only sure events for the planet. Meanwhile we can just conserve on our own while technology develops into something usable.

Sarcasm at its best.....I hope

Climate change, the new religion. Remember "The coming Ice Age", "Global Warming", and now a rebranded "Climate Change." It is like many political admonitions when proven wrong, change the rhetoric. Meanwhile climate is being used for political purposes while the devastation and human suffering in third world countries supply the "new miracle cures". Solar and wind power production, and electric vehicles are being forced on the world population while the elected and unelected leaders pollute with abandon and buy "carbon credits" to offset their lifestyle and convenience. What a joke. But it is on us. Wake up and smell the roses.

Hot water
 

Moved to Florida for the hot weather and she delivers. Would rather swim in a warm bathtub, than an ice cold pool.

I remember 35 years ago the water in Sanibel Island was 95 degrees. This has been going on for decades and centuries. But we seem to always have folks who won't delve into the actual facts of historical water temps and find it is nothing new. As a poster indicated above, the readings at any given FL body of water is currently in the low 80s.

I think it's funny that Floridians complain about skyrocketing insurance costs on Tuesday and then say I'm not concerned about scary high water temperatures on Wednesday. While next week's conversation will be about a devastating hurricane barreling towards Florida.

It's all tied together folks.... Too many people driving fossil fuel cars / trucks damaging the ozone. It's actually pretty simple.

Thata' boy:a20:

After the Ice age
 

Geological ice ages -- called glacial periods -- are characterised by the development of large ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. In the past 700,000 years, phases shifted between distinct glacial and warm periods about every 100,000 years. Before then, however, the Earth's climate was governed by 40,000-year cycles with shorter and weaker glacial periods. The change in the climate cycles occurred in the Middle Pleistocene Transition period, which began approximately 1.2 million years ago and ended about 670,000 years ago.

During this period glaciers were covering North America to where Missouri is today. The ice has been melting and the climate getting warmer for some time (those damn N.A. and their horses and buffalos that are incredibly environmentally destructive with the GHG emissions). But who knew....