Philadelphia heat wave: Need a break from the heat? Head to the shore

There is no question a trip down the shore is a great way to beat this heat wave. As temperatures sizzled into the mid 90s in Philadelphia on Friday it was about 15 degrees cooler in some shore towns.

Ann Marie Quinn brought her two children to Ocean City for the day to beat the heat back home in Williamstown, NJ.

"We were a little nervous, at first. I didn’t want to be too hot. But, when we got down here, a perfect day. The breeze, the water is a little cold, but a perfect day," Quinn said.

With waves crashing in on the 9th Street beach, a cool breeze blowing and colorful umbrellas as far as the eye can see, day trippers and other vacationers packed the resort town Friday afternoon.

11-year-old Logan McCluskey and his little sister Emma are down for the day from Washington Township.

When asked what’s the best part about coming down the shore, he responded, relaxing in his beach chair, "Definitely the beach and the boardwalk, because on the beach you can sit in the water and play in the sand."

Treating his granddaughters to some boardwalk ice cream, Wayne Chism is visiting from Florida. Little did he know the weather feels just like home.

Related

Philadelphia heat wave: Climate experts say conditions are hotter earlier and longer

The recent hot temperatures may not be unprecedented but they are happening earlier and hotter for this time of year, according to climate experts. Is this the new normal?

"Right now, it’s about 10 degrees cooler at home than it is here" said Chism.

Over in Stone Harbor, vacationers were busy enjoying cocktails on the bayside deck at the Reeds Resort. Next door, at Island Water Sport, kids kept cool jumping around the inflatable Aqua Park. After all, cooling off at the shore in the summertime is kinda what they do.

"If you have smaller kids coming to the water park, they are in the water they slide around and get tired they sleep well at night. The parents thank us for that," said Mark Tice, Sr. Dock Master at Island Water Sports.

The warmer weather is also good news for swimmers and surfers. The ocean temperature is beginning to rise. In Stone Harbor Friday, the water temperature was 72 degrees.