They call it ``Cool Cape May.'' And this weekend, it'll live up to its name.
The Jersey shore's escape spots - like Philadelphia itself - are having a spell of blanket weather. And we don't mean beach blankets.
With daytime temperatures running about 8 degrees cooler than usual for this time of year, it's time to break out the sweatshirts for mornings and evenings.
``It's probably not a good weekend for swimming,'' Accu-Weather meteorologist Mark Tobin said yesterday, with the ocean temperature hovering around 52.
The weekend will be ideal for a walk on the beach or boardwalk, though - mostly sunny, with highs around 72. There's a chance of a thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon.
``It's not startlingly cold, not anything that's that unusual,'' said meteorologist Mark DeLisi of the National Weather Service. He said daytime temperatures yesterday and Thursday reached only about 71 degrees at Philadelphia International Airport, compared with a typical 79 for this time of year.
``There's a low-pressure system off the Canadian Maritimes which isn't moving very quickly,'' DeLisi said.
Despite the chill, by late yesterday in Atlantic City, the boardwalk had already grown dense with weekend crowds. The beach, however, was barren.
Yet, for the rolling-chair trade on the boardwalk, cold hurts worse than rain.
``It's been too cold,'' said Sekou Dolleh, sitting in his rolling chair. ``Last year there were many more people out at this time of year.''
It could be several days before ocean temperatures return to their usual upper-50s readings for early June along much of the coastline. But soon, the water should warm well into the 60s.
The cool spell will probably continue into Monday, when the skies are expected to be sunny with a daytime high around 72.
