An ocean buoy floating in Manatee Bay, Florida, an area near West Palm Beach, reached a temperature of 101.1ºF on Monday, the temperature of water most hot tub manufacturers recommend for their spas, NBC News reports. Air temps peaked at 93ºF around 1 p.m. local time.
If confirmed, the temperature may be a record: the previous recorded high ocean surface temperature prior to this week in Florida was a relatively paltry 99.7º recorded at Kuwait Bay in the Persian Gulf. Globally, the average surface water temperature hit a new high of 70ºF last April.