Milford Sound Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Milford Sound right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Milford Sound, New Zealand on 23rd April 2024.

16.52° C

(61.73° F)

  • yesterday: 16.52° C (61.73° F)
  • a week ago: 15.24° C (59.43° F)

At this temperature, water will feel cold compared to a swimming pool, but with a bit of experience and practice most people will find the water relatively comfortable to swim in.

The average sea temperature for Milford Sound on April 23rd over the last 10 years is 15.88° C (60.58° F), with a low temperature of 13.84° C (56.91° F) and a high of 17.43° C (63.37° F).

Analysis and forecast for Milford Sound water temperatures

The water temperature in Milford Sound today is higher than the average temperature of 15.88° C (60.58° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 23rd April 2023, was 16.62° C (61.92° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
April 23 16.52° C 61.73° F
April 22 16.52° C 61.73° F
April 21 15.18° C 59.32° F
April 20 14.85° C 58.73° F
April 19 15.01° C 59.02° F
April 18 15.27° C 59.49° F
April 17 14.99° C 58.98° F
April 16 15.24° C 59.43° F
April 15 15.3° C 59.54° F
April 14 15.13° C 59.23° F
April 13 14.99° C 58.98° F
April 12 14.97° C 58.95° F
April 11 14.52° C 58.14° F
April 10 14.6° C 58.28° F
April 9 14.6° C 58.28° F
April 8 14.31° C 57.76° F
April 7 14.64° C 58.35° F
April 6 14.84° C 58.71° F
April 5 14.86° C 58.75° F
April 4 14.93° C 58.87° F
April 3 15.06° C 59.11° F
April 2 15.23° C 59.41° F
April 1 14.92° C 58.86° F
March 31 14.86° C 58.75° F
March 30 14.6° C 58.28° F
March 29 14.53° C 58.15° F
March 28 14.71° C 58.48° F
March 27 14.87° C 58.77° F
March 26 15.01° C 59.02° F
March 25 15.04° C 59.07° F
March 24 15.01° C 59.02° 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 Milford Sound by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Milford Sound.

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

Milford Sound map and nearby water temperatures

Locations near Milford Sound

The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 20.07° C (68.12° F) in Coopers Beach. The lowest is in Dunedin, where the temperature of the water is 14° C (57.2° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Milford Sound?

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

  • "Milford Sound Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on April 23, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/milford-sound/.

  • "Milford Sound Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/milford-sound/. Accessed 23 April, 2024

  • Milford Sound Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/milford-sound/.