Warmer weather greets Long Beach Polar Bears
Revelers run out of the Atlantic Ocean during the Long Beach Polar Bear Club's annual Super Bowl Splash, Sunday on Feb. 6, 2011. Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
No, it is not spring.
It only felt springlike Sunday because we've had weeks of freezing temperatures, snow, icy rain, sleet and more snow.
Forty-degree weather in February is not at all unusual for Long Island, said David Stark, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"It was a few degrees warmer, but not by much," said Stark. "It's been so cold we've just adjusted to that colder temperature. But in reality, 40 degrees is average."
Long Islanders, in the midst of a long, hard winter, were briefly liberated. In Long Beach, the Polar Bear Club's Annual Sunday Splash was graced with bright sunshine and more moderate temperatures. Still, Valerie Sherack, 33, of Long Beach, was shivering as she stripped down to her bikini to plunge into the icy waters of the Atlantic.
"They just blow an air horn and everyone runs in," Sherack said.
Hundreds show up for the swim annually, which this year coincided with a day of relief from the ravages of the season.
"This is on my bucket list," said a soaked Linda Davis, 53. as she emerged from the water and wrapped herself in a fluffy pink robe. "My friends would kill me if they found out I did this. But I did it!"
If this winter didn't deter the Polar Bears during their annual fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, nothing will.
Total winter snowfall to date at Brookhaven National Laboratory - including the Dec. 26-27 blizzard - is 55.5 inches, and January set a record as the snowiest month on the Island since records began being kept there in 1947, with 35.7 inches.
With rain predicted for Monday night and a wintry mix expected tomorrow night, this hint of spring is not here to stay.
So, the question is: When will it really start to feel like winter is behind us? "That's a question I can't answer," Stark said.
With Kaitlynn Mannino
Forecast for the week ahead
Monday: Cloudy in the morning and sun in the afternoon. High temps near 40 degrees. Rain in the evening.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. High temps near 40 degrees. Temperatures dropping into the teens in the evening and chance of light snow-rain mix.
Wednesday-Friday: Much colder with high temps in the 20s and lows in the teens. Mostly dry.
Source: National Weather Service.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
