By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
By 10:30 a.m., the sun was blazing and the temperature had already hit a sultry 82 degrees in Sea Isle City.
But 9-year-old Juliana Cordani was fighting off a chill.
“It’s cold,” she exclaimed while wrapping her arms around her body and pretending to shiver.
All of Juliana’s relatives from the Cordani and Noviski families broke out in laughter while lounging on the beach.
The reason Juliana was cold was because she had taken a plunge in relatively cool, 75-degree water temperature to escape the steamy air and oppressive humidity Tuesday.
But on the second day of what is expected to stretch into a brutal, weeklong heat wave, the Cordani and Noviski families were thankful they were vacationing at the Jersey Shore from their home in Middletown, N.Y.
While it may have been a bit sticky at the shore, it was downright sizzling at their home, they noted.
“It is 96 degrees in Middletown,” Lynda Cordani said. “But it is really nice to be here.”
“It’s better than Middletown,” Daniel Noviski added.
The Cordani and Noviski families, like thousands of other vacationers in Sea Isle, were able to take refuge from the heat by finding a spot on the crowded beaches close to the water. A slight breeze blew off the ocean to provide relief.
The Cordanis and Noviskis are staying at an offshore campground just a few miles from Sea Isle. For their vacation, they plan to spend plenty of beach time in Sea Isle, take a stroll on the Ocean City Boardwalk and go for a splash at a Wildwood water park. They are also looking forward to having an all-you-can-eat crab special for dinner.
But they are also mindful of the intense heat. As the heat wave grows hotter in coming days, temperatures may even break the 90s at the shore. Fueled by high humidity, the heat index could exceed 100 degrees in parts of the area, the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management warned.
Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the most oppressive days. The heat wave will hang on until at least Sunday, according to the forecast.
“These heat index values can cause heat related stress particularly among at-risk populations. Those especially vulnerable include the elderly, children, those with pre-existing conditions, especially if they live near urban centers without air conditioning,” the county Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
Just steps from the beach on Tuesday, Sea Isle was holding the weekly Farmers Market in Excursion Park. The market runs every Tuesday over the summer, giving shoppers the opportunity to buy the freshest fruits and vegetables from local farmers.
Farmers Sandra Izzi and her husband, Albert, run a fruit and produce stand at the market. The Izzis, owners of Al’s Produce in Ocean View, have been selling fruits and vegetables at the Farmers Market for years, but on Tuesday the extreme heat was presenting some challenges.
“The heat really beats up the peppers. We have to put ice on a lot of things,” Sandra Izzi said of efforts to keep the produce from wilting.
Two of Izzi’s customers, Kristin Ruff, of Harleysville, Pa., and her friend, Vince Grandinetti, of Havertown, Pa., bought some strawberries, peaches, produce, Mozzarella cheese and avocados.
Asked what she likes about the Farmers Market, Ruff said, simply, “Everything.”
Ruff and Grandinetti picked up some ingredients for a homemade dinner. At the same time they were enjoying themselves at the Farmers Market, they were paying attention to the weather forecast.
“It’s going up to 98 degrees at home,” Grandinetti said of Havertown, Pa. “So, we’re very glad to be at the ocean now, getting the breeze.”
Saidy Mazzochette, of Bella’s Blossoms, was worried that the flowers she was selling at the Farmers Market would wither in the heat. She was happy that she was nearly sold out.
One of Mazzochette’s customers, Rita Hill, of Springfield Hill, Pa., bought a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. She wanted to get the flowers out of the heat before they wilted.
“I love it – the freshness of everything,” Hill, who has a summer home in Sea Isle, said of the Farmers Market. “The convenience is great. It’s like the farm coming to you.”
