English Channel Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in English Channel right now

Below is the current sea temperature for English Channel, United Kingdom on 29th March 2024.

9.46° C

(49.03° F)

  • yesterday: 9.33° C (48.79° F)
  • a week ago: 10.09° C (50.16° F)

This water is very cold and can cause pain. We don't recommend you swim in this temperature for anything other than very short swims of 5 to 10 minutes unless you are a very experienced cold water swimmer.

The average sea temperature for English Channel on March 29th over the last 10 years is 9.14° C (48.46° F), with a low temperature of 7.39° C (45.3° F) and a high of 10.06° C (50.11° F).

Analysis and forecast for English Channel water temperatures

The water temperature in English Channel today is higher than the average temperature of 9.14° C (48.46° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 29th March 2023, was 9.36° C (48.85° F).

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

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
March 29 9.46° C 49.03° F
March 28 9.33° C 48.79° F
March 27 10.37° C 50.67° F
March 26 10.07° C 50.13° F
March 25 10.23° C 50.41° F
March 24 10.17° C 50.31° F
March 23 10.24° C 50.43° F
March 22 10.09° C 50.16° F
March 21 10.24° C 50.43° F
March 20 10.63° C 51.13° F
March 19 10.39° C 50.7° F
March 18 10.44° C 50.79° F
March 17 10.27° C 50.49° F
March 16 10.12° C 50.22° F
March 15 10.31° C 50.56° F
March 14 10.47° C 50.85° F
March 13 9.99° C 49.98° F
March 12 10.05° C 50.09° F
March 11 10.15° C 50.27° F
March 10 10.19° C 50.34° F
March 9 10.16° C 50.29° F
March 8 10.1° C 50.18° F
March 7 10.43° C 50.77° F
March 6 10.14° C 50.25° F
March 5 10.07° C 50.13° F
March 4 10.02° C 50.04° F
March 3 9.95° C 49.91° F
March 2 9.92° C 49.86° F
March 1 9.98° C 49.96° F
February 29 10.06° C 50.11° F
February 28 9.8° C 49.64° 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 English Channel by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in English Channel.

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

English Channel map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in United Kingdom today is 10.46° C (50.83° F) in Portscatho. The lowest is in Balintore, where the temperature of the water is 6.82° C (44.28° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in English Channel?

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

  • "English Channel Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on March 29, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/europe/united-kingdom/english-channel/.

  • "English Channel Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/europe/united-kingdom/english-channel/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • English Channel Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/europe/united-kingdom/english-channel/.