New York City Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in New York City right now

Below is the current sea temperature for New York City, United States on 19th May 2024.

14.66° C

(58.38° F)

  • yesterday: 14.86° C (58.74° F)
  • a week ago: 13.32° C (55.98° 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 New York City on May 19th over the last 10 years is 14° C (57.21° F), with a low temperature of 11.61° C (52.9° F) and a high of 16.44° C (61.59° F).

Analysis and forecast for New York City water temperatures

The water temperature in New York City today is higher than the average temperature of 14° C (57.21° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 19th May 2023, was 14.72° C (58.5° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
May 19 14.66° C 58.38° F
May 18 14.86° C 58.74° F
May 17 13.78° C 56.8° F
May 16 13.12° C 55.62° F
May 15 13.7° C 56.66° F
May 14 13.5° C 56.3° F
May 13 13.31° C 55.96° F
May 12 13.32° C 55.98° F
May 11 13.47° C 56.25° F
May 10 13.62° C 56.52° F
May 9 13.54° C 56.37° F
May 8 12.68° C 54.82° F
May 7 12.47° C 54.45° F
May 6 12.38° C 54.28° F
May 5 12.48° C 54.46° F
May 4 13.14° C 55.65° F
May 3 13.23° C 55.81° F
May 2 12.59° C 54.66° F
May 1 12.08° C 53.74° F
April 30 12.27° C 54.09° F
April 29 10.88° C 51.58° F
April 28 10.14° C 50.25° F
April 27 10.32° C 50.58° F
April 26 10.31° C 50.56° F
April 25 10.04° C 50.07° F
April 24 10.08° C 50.14° F
April 23 9.78° C 49.6° F
April 22 9.6° C 49.28° F
April 21 9.82° C 49.68° F
April 20 9.87° C 49.77° F
April 19 9.92° C 49.86° 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 New York City by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in New York City.

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

New York City map and nearby water temperatures

Locations near New York City

The highest temperature in United States today is 27.9° C (82.21° F) in Big Coppitt Key. The lowest is in Barrow, where the temperature of the water is -1.68° C (28.97° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in New York City?

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

  • "New York City Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 19, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/north-america/united-states/new-york-city/.

  • "New York City Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/north-america/united-states/new-york-city/. Accessed 19 May, 2024

  • New York City Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/north-america/united-states/new-york-city/.