Cook Strait Sea Temperature
Looking to find out what the sea water temperature in Cook Strait is for today and the next few days? Below are data and charts that will give you information about sea temperatures in Cook Strait and nearby locations.
Water temperature in Cook Strait right now
Below is the current sea temperature for Cook Strait, New Zealand on 19th May 2024.
16.15° C
(61.07° F)
- yesterday: 16.08° C (60.94° F)
- a week ago: 14.05° C (57.29° F)
At this temperature, water will feel cold compared to a swimming pool, but with a bit of experience and practice most people will find the water relatively comfortable to swim in.
The average sea temperature for Cook Strait on May 19th over the last 10 years is 15.33° C (59.59° F), with a low temperature of 14.25° C (57.65° F) and a high of 16.75° C (62.15° F).
Analysis and forecast for Cook Strait water temperatures
The water temperature in Cook Strait today is higher than the average temperature of 15.33° C (59.59° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 19th May 2023, was 16.32° C (61.38° F).
The chart and table below shows the change in water temperature in Cook Strait over the last 30 days:
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 Cook Strait by month
The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Cook Strait.
For more detailed information on how the sea temperature in Cook Strait changes for each month of the year, choose from the months below.
Cook Strait map and nearby water temperatures
Locations near Cook Strait
The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 19.35° C (66.83° F) in Matapouri. The lowest is in Dunedin, where the temperature of the water is 13.25° C (55.85° F).
Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Cook Strait?
The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Cook Strait 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 Cook Strait 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 Cook Strait 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.
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"Cook Strait Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 19, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/cook-strait/.
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"Cook Strait Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/cook-strait/. Accessed 19 May, 2024
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