569 replies to this topic

[bubba]

The surf temperature at the Palm Beach Inlet is 86 degrees F. What is the current temperature in your closest Ocean or large body of water?

[spockvr6]

In Tarpon Springs (at the Fred Howard Park USF Marine logging station), the water temperature was 93F yesterday.

[happ]

Santa Monica bay: 71F
Avalon Harbor: 72F
Oceanside: 76F
San Diego bay: 76F

[bubba]

Larry, Is 93 degrees F. normal? Happ, Are those temperatures high for your area? I wonder where the hottest water temperature in the world can be found?

[spockvr6]

(bubba @ Aug. 22 2007,10:39)

QUOTE

Larry, Is 93 degrees F. normal?[/quote]
Yes....happens every summer.  Sometime last summer the temp actually hit just under 95F.  I remember not believing it and thinking it was measured 2 ft offshore, etc, but going into the water actually warmed me up.  The water is far warmer than skin temperature.   I also located where the sensor is and its on a causeway into the Gulf (probably a mile offshore or so).

Heres a plot over the past few days of the water temperature readings.  It looks like the readings bounce from the middle to upper 80's into the lower 90's (probably depending on tides, time of day, etc).

Larry
Palm Harbor, FL 9b/10a
Bokeelia, FL 10b

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[mppalms]

Coastal Water Temperatures
Place: Temperature:
Point Reyes, CA 51 °F / 11.1 °C
San Francisco, CA 60 °F / 15.6 °C
Richmond, CA 71 °F / 21.7 °C
Alameda, CA 69 °F / 21.1 °C
Redwood City, CA 71 °F / 22.2 °C
Port Chicago, CA 69 °F / 21.1 °C
Monterey, CA 55 °F / 13.3 °C

The higher temperatures are SF bay.  The open ocean temps are a bit on the low side, but mid- to high-50s are the norm for the entire year due to upwelling of deep water.  

I remember one time when the water around Santa Cruz was in the 70s several years ago.  Freak occurrence.

Jason

[steve 9atx]

Galveston beach water, 88F.

Steve

[happ]

(bubba @ Aug. 22 2007,10:39)

QUOTE

Larry, Is 93 degrees F. normal? Happ, Are those temperatures high for your area? I wonder where the hottest water temperature in the world can be found?[/quote]
bubba

Generally ocean temps peak this time of year & 70's last for another month or so.  The currents are a major factor.  Deep upwelling due to strong NW winds occur along the West Coast but an eddy kicks in south of Point Concepcion drawing warmer water up into SoCal along the Davidson current.  Depending on many variables [that I can not explain] the water temp can rise/lower quickly off the West Coast and impacts the weather to some degree.

Los Angeles/Pasadena
34° 10' N   118° 18' W
Elevation: 910'/278m
January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F
July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F
Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm
USDA 11/Sunset 23
http://cdec.water.ca...rogs/queryF?MTW

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[gsytch]

Yes, Larry is correct. By August the Gulf Of Mexico off Tampa Bay always nears 90F and after this incredible heat wave, 93F is not out of the question. Our sun  just bakes here, and our warm mornings are influenced by this warm ocean water. Right now, I wake up to 80F/27C ....right Larry???? Maybe it will rain one day soon? Greg in  New Port Richey FL Tampa Bay

[Tyrone]

Here are the ocean temps in my part of the world.

http://www.bom.gov.a...anog....ecast=1

It's the middle of winter over here.

regards

Tyrone

[palmmermaid]

(gsytch @ Aug. 22 2007,18:02)

QUOTE

Yes, Larry is correct. By August the Gulf Of Mexico off Tampa Bay always nears 90F and after this incredible heat wave, 93F is not out of the question. Our sun  just bakes here, and our warm mornings are influenced by this warm ocean water. Right now, I wake up to 80F/27C ....right Larry???? Maybe it will rain one day soon? Greg in  New Port Richey FL Tampa Bay[/quote]
When we used to go to the Gulf in the late summer, we called the water bathtub water due to its warmth.  Part of the reason may be the very slow depth changes in the Gulf.  We used to say 1 mile for every foot more of water.  Probably not exactly true but it is a long way to deep water in most areas of the Gulf.  

I have been diving in the Florida Keys in August and September and actually been sweating under water!  The water was 95+ and I was wroking hard under water.  No relief from the heat being in the water.

Palmmermaid

Kitty Philips
West Palm Beach, FL

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[aussiearoids]

Coming from way down in Victoria and being a surfer when young , I always equate going for a swim/surf with cooling down . Even in mid summer the water temps were way down there , no idea what but say 10c .
Up here the water temp even in mid winter is 21C .
One of the biggest dissapointments I ever had was going for a swim in Mexico after travelling for ages in chicken buses , finally coming to a beach , and thinking beauty lets cool down !! NO WAY  

[Palmy]

(happ @ Aug. 22 2007,09:20)

QUOTE

Santa Monica bay: 71F
Avalon Harbor: 72F
Oceanside: 76F
San Diego bay: 76F[/quote]
Those seem very warm. I wouldn't be surprised though.

Orinda CA. Bay area, East bay. 1000 feet high. 9b
Norman Oklahoma
Zach- Meteorology Major @ OU

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[mppalms]

It surprises me.  The last time I set foot in the Pacific (north of San Diego), some part of my anatomy severely shrank.  

Of course, nothing beats northern/central CA water temps.  Even Alaska is often the same temp or warmer!

Jason

[happ]

NWS-LA
Southern Pacific Coast
Present Temperatures Last Updated: Sat Aug 25 06:08:26 2007 UTC  
Scripps Pier CA 74.8
Los Angeles CA 68.7
Santa Monica CA 70.0
Point Mugu CA 70.0
San Diego Bay, CA 75.7                                      

Here's the link: http://www.nodc.noaa...dsdt/wtg12.html

An interesting contrast comparing the East Coast to the West Coast.  I know fully well what it is like swimming in the Pacific north of Pt. Conception since I did it every summer growing in NoCal.  Santa Cruz/Capitola/SeaCliff & even Moss Landing/Monterey where ocean temps barely reached 60F during summer.  But when you are a kid who loves the surf it doesn't matter once you get acclimated [after a half an hour  :laugh:

Actually, it was when I was quite young body surfing with cousins in Long Beach that I understood how much warmer the Pacific is in SoCal.  Don't get me wrong, it is often too chilly for the average swimmer even in SoCal but 70's aren't too difficult getting used to & some summers [like last year recorded ocean temps above 80F; also during El Nino's.  Also realize that the water temp can reach its highest level from late afternoon well into the night [since water cools much slower than air.  I don't recommend night time swimming [ie 2 strong athletes drown last week off Hermosa Beach] but the warmth and thrill is exhiliarating.  I think my biggest fear is the thought of getting attacked by a shark & not be able to see it  

[Palmy]

I have to assume those water temps are taken within a few hundred feet of the coast. If they were taken a bit off the coast, that would be crazy.

[siafu]

72F (22.1 C) Faro/Algarve (southern coast of Portugal)

79F (26 C) is the warmest I've ever seen. 75F (24 C) is
usually the warmest it gets for brief periods.

Our sea temperature is strongly correlated to the dominant winds.
In the Summer, the water warms up considerably when the wind blows from SE quadrant, bringing warm water from the Mediterranean. In the winter, the effect is reversed and the Atlantic often stays warmer than the (western) Mediterranean.

[happ]

Another month & water temps are 5+ cooler:
Santa Monica Bay: 67F
San Diego Bay: 69F

What's it like in your area?

[spockvr6]

(happ @ Sep. 30 2007,14:47)

QUOTE

What's it like in your area?[/quote]
I dont know what the exact temp was, but I swam down at Miami Beach yesterday and the water was great!  But hot dang was I happy to get back home to sleepy Tarpon Springs as things are just too hectic down there for an old coot like me  

Larry
Palm Harbor, FL 9b/10a
Bokeelia, FL 10b

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[bubba]

Happ, 81 degrees F at Palm Beach inlet. I think we should continue to update these reports at least monthly.I think it will be interesting to see how this corresponds to our weather. I appreciate the update and your interesting insights.

[spockvr6]

83F in Tarpon Springs as of yesterday.

[steve 9atx]

Larry

Same as Galveston, 83.1F.

Steve

[spockvr6]

Steve-

Pity we are on our way down!  Id like to see that water at about 90F in January to shield us from any cold fronts!

[alex_7b]

Why aren't the QLD ocean temps Higher????

http://www.bom.gov.a...anog....ecast=1

[Turtile]

73F - Delaware

[Dave-Vero]

80 at Cocoa Beach, 85 at Fort Pierce, Florida

[bubba]

Alex, I agree, It seems that a place like Queensland should have much warmer water temperatures even in Spring.Tmap indicates 61 degrees F. and much further North also.

[PalmGuyWC]

When I was 26 years old, I moved from Miami to San Francisco. In those days I was a regular beach goer and used to swim at Miami Beach on a regular basis.  I was so excited when I moved to California and I couldn't wait to swim in the Pacific. The Pacific looked so exciting to me, larger waves and a different ocean, etc.  The first time I went to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, I ran into the water and was almost cut off at the knees. I never tried that again. It's pretty to look at, but not to swim.

As cold as the water is around San Francisco in the winter time, it's amazing to me how it moderates the climate. I guess the mid 50's is lots warmer than the 30's or lower of the air. It's weird that palms grow here in the first place since we are about the same latitude as Richmond Virginia, but of course they grow even further north, even in Vancouver BC.

Dick

[palmmermaid]

The Pacific is just colder.  We went diving in Cabo San Lucas in the summer and I had to wear a thin wetsuit.  The same was true in Fiji.  In the Caribbean, I never need a wetsuit.  And I thought I would freeze in La Jolla cove in California.  I went snorkeling with a 1/4" farmer john and jacket!  I don't know how people dive out there.  It just takes my breath away!

[bubba]

On the West coast, you guys have outdoor air conditioning. In Florida, we have an outdoor heater.Like we need it!

[PalmGuyWC]

On those hot days in the summer when the temps are 100+, it sure feels good when in late afternoon the cool air swoops in from the Bay. The temps can drop 40 degrees in less than an hour, but usually not that drastic. It can heat up here about the same rate in the mornings. Nights are always cool. My warmest minimum this summer was 72F, but usually upper 50's, to 60's. I can take the dry heat, but just wish our winters were warmer.

Dick

[Tyrone]

I think that's where So Cal and the SW of Oz have there biggest difference except for the no land mass running to the poles thing that the US has. The Ocean temps in winter here are higher than the ocean temps in So Cal in summer. The water temp never dropped below 20C this winter around Perth.

regards

Tyrone

[happ]

(Tyrone @ Oct. 02 2007,18:24)

QUOTE

I think that's where So Cal and the SW of Oz have there biggest difference except for the no land mass running to the poles thing that the US has. The Ocean temps in winter here are higher than the ocean temps in So Cal in summer. The water temp never dropped below 20C this winter around Perth.

regards

Tyrone[/quote]
That is interesting Tyrone considering our latitudes are the same.  Your winter ocean temps are almost as warm as SoCal's in summer    I thought Perth had a mediterranean climate like California.

Los Angeles/Pasadena
34° 10' N   118° 18' W
Elevation: 910'/278m
January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F
July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F
Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm
USDA 11/Sunset 23
http://cdec.water.ca...rogs/queryF?MTW

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[Tyrone]

(happ @ Oct. 02 2007,23:15)

QUOTE

(Tyrone @ Oct. 02 2007,18:24)

QUOTE

I think that's where So Cal and the SW of Oz have there biggest difference except for the no land mass running to the poles thing that the US has. The Ocean temps in winter here are higher than the ocean temps in So Cal in summer. The water temp never dropped below 20C this winter around Perth.

regards

Tyrone[/quote]
That is interesting Tyrone considering our latitudes are the same.  Your winter ocean temps are almost as warm as SoCal's in summer    I thought Perth had a mediterranean climate like California.[/quote]
The reason for our warmer waters is because of the Leeuwin current which was only discovered in the last few years. It occurs in an area from the coast to about 200km out to sea and flows from the warm waters around Indonesia and flows southward right down the west coast and into the southern ocean. It's meant to be strongest in winter, so our water temps only vary by a few degrees throughout the year. Further than about 200km from the coast the water currents run south to the north. Where they meet can produce large swirling currents miles across.

The temps in the Swan River which is a very large body of water that runs through the center of Perth never really drops below 21-22C. For those who are lucky enough to have a property on the river, the extra warmth the water would provide would almost totally prevent any frost event, and it may even be a true zone 11 climate within a few hundred meters of the river.
In general our winter temps do not drop below about 1-2C a couple of times a year. This year we didn't drop below 3.1C.

regards

Tyrone

Perth Western Australia 32S Dry subtropics. Csa Koeppen Climate classification. Historical temp extremes 1890's to present: -0.7C to 46C. Winter 8C to 18C min/max, Summer 18C to 32C min/max. Approx 750mm rainfall winter to mid spring. Dry summers and autumns. Garden record temps 1.5C to 42C, frost free. Ocean temps 18C to 23C. 18km (11 miles) from Indian Ocean. 25m above sea level. Swan coastal plain. Sandy "Bassendean Grey" growing medium.
The Tropical Look

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[Daryl]

(alex_7b @ Oct. 02 2007,06:48)

QUOTE

Why aren't the QLD ocean temps Higher????

http://www.bom.gov.a...anog....ecast=1[/quote]
Here at the southern most part of Queensland our ocean temps get down to 19C (66F) at the end of winter. If you look at the chart in that link you will notice that the water temps in nth Queensland are about 25-26C (77-79F). Looking further north into the Gulf of Carpentaria, you will see that the water temp is about 28C (82F). Then consider that this is the start of spring, so the water is not really cold, except when compared to the summer water temps reported in Florida. My understanding of the Carribean and Gulf water temps was that the relatively shallow water heated up more easily than a deeper body of water such as the Pacific.

Our summer water temps here get to about 27C (80F) in February/March.

Additionally, there are set currents in all of the major oceans which run clockwise in the nth Atlantic and nth Pacific and anti-clockwise in the Indian and south pacific.  There is a good map somewhere which displays all of the current patterns. I'll try to find a copy of it.

Daryl

Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland 28S
Mild Humid Subtropical climate
Temp Extremes 4C-42C
Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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[happ]

It's that time of the month to report ocean temperatures.  

Ever so slowly the water temps continue to lower though only by a few degrees:

Santa Monica Bay 64F/17.7c
San Diego Bay 66F/18.8c

[steve 9atx]

Galveston Chanel 73F.

[spockvr6]

Water temps are on the decline here as well and are running from 78-80F off the coast in Tarpon Springs.

[wrigphi]

The Indian Ocean is unusually cool at the moment; that is being blamed for the drought in inland NSW, because inland moisture comes from NW cloud bands, sucking in moisture from the Timor Sea.
Coastal NSW is doing OK, because it gets its moisture largely from the Pacific.

[MattyB]

I'm a Southern California local and I always wear my full suit while surfing until the water temp exceeds 70F and it's a sunny day.  This usually only lasts for a month or so.  I get so cold that it's not fun out there shivering like a chihuahua.  I don't care how dumb I look with a suit in summer.  You Florida guys can understand but in CA if you're out in the middle of summer with a full suit on you get some dirty  looks.  I gotta muscle up and not wear my botties and hoodie so I don't look like a lamo!  But it's cold bra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't surf with numb feet!