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Coldest sea in United States in January

4,477 coastal locations in United States ranked by typical January sea temperature, coldest first. Region-wide average in January: 10.6°C.

Coldest in January

Barrow

-1.7°C January mean in United States

Regional January average

10.6°C

across all 4,477 coastal locations in United States

Vs annual mean

-5.6°C

below the year-round regional average

What the United States sea feels like in January

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 real risk.

United States monthly average 10.0°C to 22.6°C
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  • Warmest month August 22.6°C
  • Coldest month February 10.0°C
  • Annual mean 16.2°C
  • Months above 20°C 3 of 12

Where January fits in the year

January sits inside the regional pattern shown on the left. Pick a different month to see how the ranking shifts.

All twelve United States month rankings:

United States sea temperature map (live)

The map shows today's latest reading at every United States location. The list below is based on the typical January mean.

Zoom in to see individual locations. Click a pin for water temperatures. View list →
°C -2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 27 30 35

Top 50 coldest United States locations in January

Sorted by typical January mean from a decade of daily readings, coldest first. Click any place for the full location page.

# Location January mean
1 Barrow Alaska -1.7°C
2 Cape Espenberg, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
3 Cape Krusenstern, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
4 Kivalina Alaska -1.6°C
5 Northeast Cape, St. Lawrence Island Alaska -1.6°C
6 Point Hope Alaska -1.6°C
7 Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island Alaska -1.6°C
8 Fossil River entrance, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska Alaska -1.6°C
9 Maknik Lagoon entrance, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska Alaska -1.6°C
10 Red Dog Dock Alaska -1.6°C
11 Barrow (offshore) Alaska -1.6°C
12 Outside Lopp Lagoon Alaska -1.6°C
13 Point Barrow, Alaska Alaska -1.6°C
14 Point Barrow Alaska -1.6°C
15 Goodhope Bay, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
16 Tin City, Bering Sea Alaska -1.6°C
17 Kotzebue, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
18 Mekoryuk, Mekoryuk River Entrance Alaska -1.6°C
19 Shishmaref Inlet 2 Alaska -1.6°C
20 Akeftapak, St. Lawrence Island Alaska -1.5°C
21 Lost River, Seward Peninsula Alaska -1.5°C
22 Nome, Norton Sound Alaska -1.5°C
23 Powooiliak Point, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska Alaska -1.5°C
24 Kotzebue Alaska -1.5°C
25 Prudhoe Bay #2 Alaska -1.5°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 Moghoweyik River entrance, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska Alaska -1.5°C
27 Deering, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.5°C
28 Eastern Nunivak Island Alaska -1.5°C
29 Nome Alaska -1.5°C
30 Point Spencer, Port Clarence, Norton Sound Alaska -1.5°C
31 Flaxman Island Alaska -1.5°C
32 Popokamute (Kokokamute), Kuskokwim River Alaska -1.5°C
33 Prudhoe Bay Alaska -1.5°C
34 Fort Peck Lake Montana -1.5°C
35 Tooksook Bay, Nelson Island Alaska -1.5°C
36 Apokak Creek entrance, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
37 Eek Channel, off Quinhagak, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
38 Helmick Point (SE of), Kuskokwim River Alaska -1.4°C
39 Kinak Bay Alaska -1.4°C
40 Kuskokwak Creek entrance, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
41 Popokamute, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
42 Cape Romanzof, Bering Sea, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
43 Clarks Point, Nushagak Bay Alaska -1.4°C
44 Dall Point, Hooper Bay Alaska -1.4°C
45 Teller, Port Clarance, Norton Sound, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
46 Teller, Port Clarence Alaska -1.4°C
47 Kiwalik, Kotzebue Sound, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C
48 Lake Sakakawea North Dakota -1.4°C
49 Cross Island (Dinkum Sands) Alaska -1.4°C
50 Kokechik Bay, Bering Sea, Alaska Alaska -1.4°C

Warmest 10 in United States in January

Same data the other way. The warmest spots for the same month.

# Location January mean
1 Palmyra Island Northern Line Islands 28.0°C
2 Howland Island Minor Outlying Islands 28.0°C
3 Wake Island, Pacific Ocean Minor Outlying Islands 27.0°C
4 Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean Minor Outlying Islands 26.5°C
5 Johnston Atoll Minor Outlying Islands 26.5°C
6 Jarvis Island Minor Outlying Islands 26.4°C
7 Long Island New York 26.3°C
8 Napoopoo, Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii Island, Hawaii Hawaii 25.6°C
9 Boynton Beach Florida 25.6°C
10 Briny Breezes Florida 25.6°C

More on this region