This may have something to do with all the tropical rains

[LongIslandPiney]

200 Nautical Miles off Cape May, bouy has water temps in the MID 70S. Break out the bathing suits....
Conditions at 44004 as of
(7:50 pm EST on 03/07/2008)

Wind Direction (WDIR): SSE ( 160 deg true )
Wind Speed (WSPD): 23.3 kts
Wind Gust (GST): 27.2 kts
Wave Height (WVHT): 5.9 ft
Dominant Wave Period (DPD): 8 sec
Average Period (APD): 5.9 sec
Atmospheric Pressure (PRES): 30.00 in
Pressure Tendency (PTDY): -0.04 in ( Falling )
Air Temperature (ATMP): 69.4 °F
Water Temperature (WTMP): 74.5 °F
Dew Point (DEWP): 63.9 °F

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44004

Always been into weather, the past couple of years have been crazy. Meanwhile its snowing in the South.

 

[MarkBNJ]

The Gulf Stream is not much more than 200 miles off Cape May this winter, and spawning inshore eddies of warm water, as it always does.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gulf_Stream_water_temperature.jpg

The blue-green waters just east of the Jersey Coast are in the 60-70 degree band.

 

[LongIslandPiney]

Yeah the Gulf Stream is killing us, once the wind goes S or SE it gets quite mucky. They often mention La Nina (the cooling of the Pacific waters) as a reason for the warm winters here, but I think what goes on offshore plays a greater role. We've had more thunderstorms this winter than during last summer! I think some of these tropical rainstorms have indeed had tropical characteristics, looking at radar and satellite you can see banding similar to a hurricane.
Normally the Gulf stream is further offshore and south. With it being closer the warm air surges up the coast feeding moisture into these monster rainstorms.
It's why we haven't had any good snow events this year. The only one we had a couple of weeks ago changed to rain at the end due to the SE wind off the hot water. Hopefully this is just a bad pattern and not how every winter is going to be. However I can theorize that the Pacific cooldown is being caused by GW due to melting ice, which steers the jet stream inland and encourages a SE Ridge which keeps the warm air and water pumping up the eastern seaboard.
However, if enough fresh water melts the ocean conveyor halts and no more gulf stream.
This winter however has been quite cold across the arctic and in other parts of the world, more ice is forming than melting, so attribute the muggy winters we've had more to being in a screw zone due to the SE Ridge, La Nina, and the hot ocean. Unfortunately they feed upon themselves, which is why it's so hard to get rid of the SE Ridge and the tropical pattern we are in.

 

[RednekF350]

Here are two really good sites that I use in the summer to sea surface temps for my fishing trip planning:

http://www.thecoolroom.org/funkynew.htm

http://www.sstcharts.com/

The Hotspots site is pretty cool as you can click on a spot and get lat, lon and temp.