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 26th September 2023.

26.74° C

(80.14° F)

  • yesterday: 24.65° C (76.37° F)
  • a week ago: 24.45° C (76.01° 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 September 26th over the last 10 years is 25.24° C (77.43° F), with a low temperature of 23.91° C (75.04° F) and a high of 26.82° C (80.28° F).

Analysis and forecast for Cooktown water temperatures

The water temperature in Cooktown today is higher than the average temperature of 25.24° C (77.43° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 26th September 2022, was 26.82° C (80.28° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
September 26 26.74° C 80.14° F
September 25 24.65° C 76.37° F
September 25 24.65° C 76.37° F
September 24 24.68° C 76.42° F
September 23 24.65° C 76.37° F
September 22 24.77° C 76.59° F
September 21 24.64° C 76.35° F
September 20 24.47° C 76.05° F
September 19 24.45° C 76.01° F
September 18 24.34° C 75.81° F
September 17 24.31° C 75.76° F
September 16 24.27° C 75.69° F
September 15 24.09° C 75.36° F
September 14 24.16° C 75.49° F
September 13 24.43° C 75.97° F
September 12 24.55° C 76.19° F
September 11 24.6° C 76.28° F
September 10 24.71° C 76.48° F
September 9 24.74° C 76.53° F
September 8 24.66° C 76.39° F
September 7 24.52° C 76.14° F
September 6 24.31° C 75.76° F
September 5 24.29° C 75.72° F
September 4 24.51° C 76.12° F
September 3 24.4° C 75.92° F
September 2 24.42° C 75.96° F
September 1 24.3° C 75.74° F
August 31 24.08° C 75.34° F
August 30 23.87° C 74.97° F
August 29 23.83° C 74.89° 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 29.15° C (84.48° F) in Darwin. The lowest is in Austins Ferry, where the temperature of the water is 11.66° C (53° 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 September 26, 2023. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/.

  • "Cooktown Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/. Accessed 26 September, 2023

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