Rainbow Beach Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Rainbow Beach right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Rainbow Beach, Australia on January 15, 2026.

Today

Yesterday

A week ago

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 Rainbow Beach on January 15 over the last 10 years is 26.45° C (79.61° F), with a low temperature of 25.66° C (78.19° F) and a high of 27.31° C (81.16° F).

Analysis and forecast for Rainbow Beach water temperatures

The water temperature in Rainbow Beach today is the same as the average temperature of 26.45° C (79.61° F) and the temperature on this day last year was 26.45° C (79.61° F).

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

DateTemperature (Celsius)Temperature (Fahrenheit)
January 1526.45° C79.61° F
January 1426.34° C79.42° F
January 1326.51° C79.73° F
January 1226.56° C79.8° F
January 1126.64° C79.96° F
January 1026.5° C79.71° F
January 926.41° C79.53° F
January 826.36° C79.45° F
January 726.29° C79.32° F
January 626.33° C79.39° F
January 526.35° C79.43° F
January 426.33° C79.39° F
January 326.26° C79.27° F
January 226.09° C78.97° F
January 126.08° C78.95° F
December 3126.02° C78.83° F
December 3025.97° C78.75° F
December 2925.97° C78.75° F
December 2825.92° C78.66° F
December 2725.95° C78.71° F
December 2625.99° C78.78° F
December 2526.01° C78.81° F
December 2425.94° C78.69° F
December 2325.88° C78.58° F
December 2225.87° C78.57° F
December 2125.93° C78.67° F
December 2025.79° C78.42° F
December 1925.53° C77.96° F
December 1825.5° C77.9° F
December 1725.5° C77.9° 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 Rainbow Beach by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Rainbow Beach.

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

Rainbow Beach map and nearby water temperatures

Rainbow Beach sea temperature map

Locations near Rainbow Beach

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Rainbow Beach?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Rainbow Beach because they want to understand and learn how the ocean communicates with the atmosphere of Earth.

SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Rainbow Beach 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 Rainbow Beach 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.