Cooktown Sea Temperature

Looking to find out what the sea water temperature in Cooktown is for today and the next few days? Below are data and charts that will give you information about sea temperatures in Cooktown and nearby locations.

Water temperature in Cooktown right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Cooktown, Australia on 19th May 2024.

25.82° C

(78.48° F)

  • yesterday: 25.87° C (78.57° F)
  • a week ago: 26.62° C (79.92° F)

This water temperature is comparable to that of a swimming pool, but it might be higher than most open water swimmers prefer for serious swimming. Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after swimming and don't wear a wetsuit to avoid overheating.

The average sea temperature for Cooktown on May 19th over the last 10 years is 25.83° C (78.49° F), with a low temperature of 24.79° C (76.62° F) and a high of 27.28° C (81.1° F).

Analysis and forecast for Cooktown water temperatures

The water temperature in Cooktown today is lower than the average temperature of 25.83° C (78.49° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 19th May 2023, was 25.8° C (78.44° F).

The chart and table below shows the change in water temperature in Cooktown over the last 30 days:

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
May 19 25.82° C 78.48° F
May 18 25.87° C 78.57° F
May 17 26.37° C 79.47° F
May 16 26.3° C 79.34° F
May 15 26.49° C 79.68° F
May 14 26.41° C 79.54° F
May 13 26.52° C 79.74° F
May 12 26.62° C 79.92° F
May 11 26.7° C 80.06° F
May 10 26.75° C 80.15° F
May 9 26.78° C 80.2° F
May 8 26.9° C 80.42° F
May 7 27° C 80.6° F
May 6 26.92° C 80.46° F
May 5 26.78° C 80.2° F
May 4 26.86° C 80.35° F
May 3 27.08° C 80.74° F
May 2 27.09° C 80.76° F
May 1 27.11° C 80.8° F
April 30 27.2° C 80.96° F
April 29 27.41° C 81.34° F
April 28 27.58° C 81.64° F
April 27 27.73° C 81.91° F
April 26 27.86° C 82.15° F
April 25 27.96° C 82.33° F
April 24 28.14° C 82.65° F
April 23 28.17° C 82.71° F
April 22 28.22° C 82.8° F
April 21 28.22° C 82.8° F
April 20 28.39° C 83.1° F
April 19 28.11° C 82.6° F

The actual nearshore temperatures may vary by several degrees and this can also be heavily affected by weather. Strong winds can cause cold, deep waters to replace the surface waters that had been warmed by the sun, and heavy rain can also reduce the temperature of the sea surface temperature as well.

Water temperature in Cooktown by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Cooktown.

For more detailed information on how the sea temperature in Cooktown changes for each month of the year, choose from the months below.

Cooktown map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in Australia today is 28.62° C (83.52° F) in Darwin. The lowest is in Granton, where the temperature of the water is 14.59° C (58.26° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Cooktown?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Cooktown because they want to understand and learn how the ocean communicates with the atomosphere of Earth.

SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Cooktown as well as atmospheric model simulations and to study marine ecosystems in the area.

Data source and citation

Raw data for the calculations made to find the sea surface temperature in Cooktown comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their 1/4° daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature.

The water temperature data is constructed by combining observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys, and Argo floats) on a regular global grid. A spatially complete sea surface temperature map is then built by interpolating to fill in gaps in the data.

If you'd like to use any of the information above in the format it is presented, please use the citation tool below.

  • "Cooktown Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 19, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/.

  • "Cooktown Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/. Accessed 19 May, 2024

  • Cooktown Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/.