Timaru Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Timaru right now

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

13.1° C

(55.58° F)

yesterday: 11.54° C (52.77° F)
a week ago: 11.85° C (53.33° 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 Timaru on May 18th over the last 10 years is 12.46° C (54.42° F), with a low temperature of 11.71° C (53.08° F) and a high of 13.68° C (56.62° F).

Analysis and forecast for Timaru water temperatures

The water temperature in Timaru today is higher than the average temperature of 12.46° C (54.42° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 18th May 2023, was 13.25° C (55.85° F).

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

Date	Temperature (Celsius)	Temperature (Fahrenheit)
May 18	13.1° C	55.58° F
May 17	11.54° C	52.77° F
May 17	11.54° C	52.77° F
May 16	11.62° C	52.92° F
May 15	11.62° C	52.92° F
May 14	11.87° C	53.37° F
May 13	11.89° C	53.4° F
May 12	11.85° C	53.33° F
May 11	11.85° C	53.33° F
May 10	12.02° C	53.64° F
May 9	12.25° C	54.05° F
May 8	12.36° C	54.25° F
May 7	12.4° C	54.32° F
May 6	12.4° C	54.32° F
May 5	12.61° C	54.7° F
May 4	12.75° C	54.95° F
May 3	12.94° C	55.29° F
May 2	13.21° C	55.78° F
May 1	13.31° C	55.96° F
April 30	13.47° C	56.25° F
April 29	13.41° C	56.14° F
April 28	13.4° C	56.12° F
April 27	13.48° C	56.26° F
April 26	13.61° C	56.5° F
April 25	13.8° C	56.84° F
April 24	14.21° C	57.58° F
April 23	14.19° C	57.54° F
April 22	13.93° C	57.07° F
April 21	13.99° C	57.18° F
April 20	13.72° C	56.7° 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 Timaru by month

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

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

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Timaru map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 19.63° C (67.34° F) in Matapouri. The lowest is in Dunedin, where the temperature of the water is 12.91° C (55.24° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Timaru?

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

<a href="http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/timaru/">Timaru Sea Temperature</a>
"Timaru Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 18, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/timaru/.
"Timaru Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/timaru/. Accessed 18 May, 2024
Timaru Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/timaru/.