Doubtful Sound Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Doubtful Sound right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Doubtful Sound, New Zealand on 18th May 2024.

14.75° C

(58.55° F)

  • yesterday: 13.38° C (56.08° F)
  • a week ago: 13.7° C (56.66° F)

Water at this temperature is cold and will feel very cold initially, but the body will get used to it and longer swims are possible. Experienced swimmers can manage several hours of swimming, however hypothermia is still a very big risk.

The average sea temperature for Doubtful Sound on May 18th over the last 10 years is 14.48° C (58.07° F), with a low temperature of 13.51° C (56.32° F) and a high of 15.96° C (60.73° F).

Analysis and forecast for Doubtful Sound water temperatures

The water temperature in Doubtful Sound today is higher than the average temperature of 14.48° C (58.07° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 18th May 2023, was 14.86° C (58.75° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
May 18 14.75° C 58.55° F
May 17 13.38° C 56.08° F
May 17 13.38° C 56.08° F
May 16 13.75° C 56.75° F
May 15 13.78° C 56.8° F
May 14 13.68° C 56.62° F
May 13 13.86° C 56.95° F
May 12 13.69° C 56.64° F
May 11 13.7° C 56.66° F
May 10 13.82° C 56.88° F
May 9 13.83° C 56.89° F
May 8 13.95° C 57.11° F
May 7 13.87° C 56.97° F
May 6 13.76° C 56.77° F
May 5 13.97° C 57.15° F
May 4 14.16° C 57.49° F
May 3 14.28° C 57.7° F
May 2 14.26° C 57.67° F
May 1 14.18° C 57.52° F
April 30 14.2° C 57.56° F
April 29 14.25° C 57.65° F
April 28 14.18° C 57.52° F
April 27 14.33° C 57.79° F
April 26 14.53° C 58.15° F
April 25 14.87° C 58.77° F
April 24 14.63° C 58.33° F
April 23 14.57° C 58.23° F
April 22 14.74° C 58.53° F
April 21 14.71° C 58.48° F
April 20 14.74° C 58.53° 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 Doubtful Sound by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Doubtful Sound.

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

Doubtful Sound map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 19.67° C (67.41° F) in Matapouri. The lowest is in Dunedin, where the temperature of the water is 12.95° C (55.31° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Doubtful Sound?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Doubtful Sound 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 Doubtful Sound 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 Doubtful Sound 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.

  • "Doubtful Sound Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 18, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/doubtful-sound/.

  • "Doubtful Sound Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/doubtful-sound/. Accessed 18 May, 2024

  • Doubtful Sound Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/doubtful-sound/.