US Coastal Water Temperatures by Month: Complete Reference

The US coastal water temperatures by month vary more than most surfers and swimmers expect. Pacific City, OR sits at 50°F in February while the same calendar week is 68°F at Wrightsville Beach, NC. This reference compiles monthly mean water temperatures from 40+ NOAA buoy stations covering the major US surf, dive, and open-water swim destinations, with a wetsuit thickness recommendation for each. Use it for trip planning, wetsuit purchase decisions, and seasonal gear rotation.

For broader wetsuit-thickness context, see the wetsuit thickness guide and wetsuit temperature guide.

How to use this reference

For each region, we list NOAA buoy stations with monthly mean SSTs (sea-surface temperatures) in Fahrenheit, the recommended wetsuit thickness for the coldest month, and a link to the NOAA station page where you can pull current readings.

The thickness recommendations follow our standard ladder: 75°F+ rash guard, 70 to 75°F 2mm, 65 to 70°F 3/2mm, 60 to 65°F 4/3mm, 55 to 60°F 4/3 hooded or 5/4, 50 to 55°F 5/4 hooded with accessories, below 50°F 6/5 hooded full kit. Personal cold tolerance varies; sensitive surfers go one step warmer.

Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, BC border)

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Stonewall Bank, OR	46050	49	49	53	56	5/4 hooded
Astoria Canyon, OR	46089	50	49	54	57	5/4 hooded
Cape Elizabeth, WA	46041	48	48	53	55	5/4 hooded
Neah Bay, WA	46087	47	48	53	54	5/4 hooded
Columbia River Bar	46029	49	50	56	58	5/4 hooded

PNW water is consistently cold. The seasonal swing is small (47°F coldest to 58°F warmest), unlike the East Coast which swings 30+°F. Year-round 5/4 hooded is the right call for most regular surfers; 4/3 hooded works for the Sept-Oct window only.

For deeper PNW coverage: Pacific Northwest pillar, Oregon Coast, Washington Coast.

Northern California

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Bodega Bay	46013	51	50	53	56	4/3 hooded or 5/4
San Francisco Bar	46026	52	51	54	57	4/3 hooded
Monterey Bay	46042	53	52	56	58	4/3 hooded
Half Moon Bay	46012	52	51	54	57	4/3 hooded
Point Sur	46028	54	53	56	59	4/3

NorCal is colder than most expect because of the persistent upwelling. Ocean Beach SF in February reads 51°F; that is cold-water territory. The Northern California guide has the regional gear breakdown.

Southern California

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Santa Monica Bay	46221	58	60	67	65	3/2
Harvest Buoy (Santa Barbara)	46218	57	58	64	64	3/2
San Pedro Channel	46222	59	60	67	65	3/2
San Diego Bight	46086	60	61	68	67	3/2
Tanner Bank	46219	60	61	67	66	3/2

SoCal water is meaningfully warmer than NorCal year-round. The seasonal range is 57 to 68°F. A 3/2mm full suit covers most of the year with a 4/3 backup for late winter for sensitive surfers.

Hawaii

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Mokapu Point, Oahu	51202	75	75	79	80	Rash guard or 1mm
Hilo, Big Island	51206	75	76	79	80	Rash guard or 1mm
Pearl Harbor	51201	75	75	79	80	Rash guard or 1mm

Hawaiian waters are tropical. A long-sleeve rash guard handles most of the year. A 2mm spring suit is useful only for night dives or extended sessions.

Atlantic: New England

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Boston Approach	44013	38	42	65	56	6/5 hooded
Cape Cod Bay	44018	36	42	67	57	6/5 hooded
Buzzards Bay	BUZM3	38	44	70	60	6/5 hooded
Portland, ME	44007	37	41	60	53	6/5 hooded
Mt. Desert Rock, ME	44034	37	39	56	50	6/5 hooded year-round

The East Coast has an enormous seasonal swing. February is colder than PNW year-round; July is warmer than PNW year-round. New England surfers run 3/2 in summer and 6/5 hooded in winter, the widest gear range in the country. See Maine and New England guide.

Atlantic: Mid-Atlantic

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Block Island, RI	44097	39	44	68	60	6/5 hooded
Long Island Sound	44060	40	47	71	62	5/4 hooded
Cape May, NJ	44009	41	47	71	63	5/4 hooded
Chesapeake Bay	44062	42	51	76	65	5/4 hooded
Virginia Beach	44099	44	51	75	67	5/4 hooded

Mid-Atlantic still has cold winters but warmer summers (74 to 78°F July-August). 5/4 hooded for winter, 3/2 for summer covers most surfers.

Atlantic: Southeast

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Cape Hatteras, NC	41025	53	60	79	70	4/3
Wrightsville Beach, NC	41110	56	64	81	72	4/3
Charleston, SC	41004	58	65	83	74	3/2
Cape Canaveral, FL	41010	65	70	82	78	2mm or 3/2
Miami, FL	42040	72	76	84	81	Rash guard or 2mm

The Carolinas and Florida warm rapidly south of Hatteras. North Carolina is a clear “two-suit” coast (4/3 winter + 3/2 summer or trunks). Florida south of Cape Canaveral surfs in trunks for most of the year.

Gulf Coast

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Port Aransas, TX	42019	62	71	84	78	3/2
Galveston, TX	42035	60	70	84	76	3/2
Pensacola, FL	42039	62	70	85	76	3/2
Mobile Bay, AL	42012	60	71	85	76	3/2

Gulf Coast water rarely gets cold enough to need a 4/3. A 3/2 covers winter; a rash guard or 2mm shorty covers the rest of the year.

Great Lakes

Station	ID	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Coldest Month Pick
Lake Superior (mid-lake)	45006	33	35	55	50	6/5 hooded year-round
Lake Michigan (mid-lake)	45007	35	37	64	56	6/5 hooded for winter
Lake Erie (mid-lake)	45005	34	41	73	60	5/4 hooded
Lake Ontario (mid-lake)	45012	36	39	68	58	6/5 hooded
Lake Huron (mid-lake)	45003	34	36	60	53	6/5 hooded

Great Lakes surfing has a passionate small community. Winter water on Lake Superior literally hovers near freezing; gloves, hood, and 6/5 are non-negotiable. See Great Lakes guide.

Methodology and source

All values are NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) historical climatic monthly means. Each station’s full historical record is available at https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=<ID>. Where multiple buoys exist near a coastal area, we have selected the buoy closest to the surf zone or with the longest period of record. Climatic means smooth out year-to-year variability; current real-world readings can vary several degrees from the long-term mean.

For trip planning within a few weeks: pull the current observation from the NOAA station page directly. For wetsuit-purchase planning: the climatic monthly mean is the right number.

Embed this chart on your own site

If you would like to use this reference on your site, paste this HTML snippet. We require attribution back to NOAA (data source) and WetsuitCenter (compilation). NOAA data is public domain; the compilation work is licensed for use with attribution.

<!-- WetsuitCenter US Water Temperature Reference -->
<iframe
  src="https://wetsuitcenter.com/learn/wetsuit-water-temperature-buoy-data/?embed=1"
  width="100%"
  height="640"
  frameborder="0"
  loading="lazy"
  title="US Coastal Water Temperatures by Month"
></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 12px; color: #555;">
  Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center, compiled by
  <a href="https://wetsuitcenter.com/learn/wetsuit-water-temperature-buoy-data/">WetsuitCenter</a>.
</p>
<!-- /WetsuitCenter US Water Temperature Reference -->

If you would prefer a static table rather than an embed, copy any of the regional tables above with this attribution at the bottom: “Source: NOAA NDBC, compiled by WetsuitCenter.”

Where to go from here

Once you know the typical water temperature for your spot, two next steps:

1. Use the Wetsuit Finder tool to translate temperature into a specific thickness recommendation, accounting for personal cold tolerance.
2. Browse the regional buying guides: Pacific Northwest, Oregon Coast, Washington Coast, Northern California, Maine and New England, British Columbia, Great Lakes.

For broader gear context: complete guide to choosing a wetsuit and wetsuit thickness guide.