2020 starts on frigid note with Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 01: A woman dressed as Statue Liberty joints Polar Bear swimmers as they go into the Ocean making their annual icy plunge on New Year's Day on January 1, 2020 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by
NEW YORK (AP) — 2020 began in frigid fanfare for hundreds of people who splashed through the Atlantic Ocean during the annual Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge.
Swimmers wearing Santa hats and other costume braved 40-degree temperatures (4 degrees Celsius) to partake in the New York City tradition.
The weather was chillier than last year, when the mercury rose unseasonably high into the upper 50s (13 to 15 Celsius).
The event dates to 1903 and raises money for various charities.
Polar bear plunges were also held in such locales as North Beach, Maryland; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and Perth, Ontario.