Dunedin Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Dunedin right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Dunedin, New Zealand on 8th May 2024.

13.09° C

(55.57° F)

  • yesterday: 11.55° C (52.79° F)
  • a week ago: 12.16° C (53.89° 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 Dunedin on May 8th over the last 10 years is 12.24° C (54.03° F), with a low temperature of 10.01° C (50.02° F) and a high of 13.47° C (56.25° F).

Analysis and forecast for Dunedin water temperatures

The water temperature in Dunedin today is higher than the average temperature of 12.24° C (54.03° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 8th May 2023, was 13.19° C (55.74° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
May 8 13.09° C 55.57° F
May 7 11.55° C 52.79° F
May 7 11.55° C 52.79° F
May 6 11.42° C 52.56° F
May 5 11.45° C 52.61° F
May 4 11.79° C 53.22° F
May 3 12.06° C 53.71° F
May 2 12.04° C 53.67° F
May 1 12.16° C 53.89° F
April 30 12.03° C 53.65° F
April 29 12.25° C 54.05° F
April 28 12.14° C 53.85° F
April 27 12.32° C 54.18° F
April 26 12.34° C 54.21° F
April 25 12.12° C 53.82° F
April 24 12.33° C 54.19° F
April 23 12.36° C 54.25° F
April 22 12.24° C 54.03° F
April 21 12.1° C 53.78° F
April 20 12.01° C 53.62° F
April 19 12.3° C 54.14° F
April 18 12.46° C 54.43° F
April 17 12.38° C 54.28° F
April 16 12.39° C 54.3° F
April 15 12.5° C 54.5° F
April 14 12.43° C 54.37° F
April 13 12.43° C 54.37° F
April 12 12.4° C 54.32° F
April 11 12.48° C 54.46° F
April 10 13.1° C 55.58° 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 Dunedin by month

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

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

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

Dunedin map and nearby water temperatures

Locations near Dunedin

Portobello

New Zealand, Australia and Oceania

7.81 miles away

The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 19.8° C (67.65° F) in Matapouri. The lowest is in Kaka Point, where the temperature of the water is 13.3° C (55.95° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Dunedin?

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

  • "Dunedin Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on May 8, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/dunedin/.

  • "Dunedin Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/dunedin/. Accessed 8 May, 2024

  • Dunedin Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/dunedin/.