Virginia Beach, Va. – Don`t let the warm, sunny weather we`ve seen this week fool you. While air temperatures have been in the 80s, water temperatures haven`t been warm at all but some still took their chances at the beach today.
NewsChannel 3 decided to test how cold the water really was at the Oceanfront with a pool thermometer. Temperatures were as cold as 54 degrees at one point.
Along the Chesapeake Bay, the water temperatures were in the mid-60s.
Still, most areas in Hampton Roads and NE North Carolina are seeing water temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s; it’s cold enough that if you`re in the water too long, you could end up in the hospital.
Dr. Deepak Talreja of Sentara Virginia Beach General says hypothermia can be very dangerous. It could cause mental confusion, lack of coordination or worse.
“Even with as little as 10 minutes of exposure at current temperatures, people start seeing impairments. We generally warn people that by about 30 minutes in the water, even the strongest of swimmers have significant impairment in their abilities,” says Dr. Talreja.
For now, most people we talked to aren`t taking a chance. They`re just waiting for the water to warm up in a few months.
