Skip to content
seatemperatures.net

Warmest beach in North Carolina in December

138 coastal locations in North Carolina ranked by their typical December sea temperature. State-wide average in December: 14.0°C.

Warmest in December

Atlantic Beach

18.2°C

State December average

14.0°C

across 138 coastal locations in North Carolina

Vs annual mean

-5.6°C

below the year-round state average

What the North Carolina water feels like in December

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.

North Carolina monthly average 10.6°C to 27.7°C
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
  • Warmest month August 27.7°C
  • Coldest month February 10.6°C
  • Annual mean 19.6°C
  • Months above 20°C 6 of 12

Where December fits in the year

December sits inside the state pattern shown on the left. Browse a different month for a fresh ranking.

North Carolina sea temperature map (live)

Today's reading at every North Carolina beach we track. The list below uses the typical December mean from a decade of daily history.

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 warmest North Carolina beaches in December

Sorted by typical December mean. Click any beach for the full location page.

# Location December mean
1 Atlantic Beach North Carolina 18.2°C
2 Beaufort North Carolina 18.2°C
3 Cape Lookout North Carolina 18.2°C
4 Harkers Island North Carolina 18.2°C
5 Morehead City North Carolina 18.2°C
6 Cape Hatteras (fishing pier) North Carolina 17.9°C
7 Cape Hatteras, North Carolina North Carolina 17.9°C
8 Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina North Carolina 17.9°C
9 Hatteras (ocean), North Carolina North Carolina 17.9°C
10 Hatteras (USCG Station) North Carolina 17.9°C
11 North Topsail Beach North Carolina 17.6°C
12 Ocean City Beach North Carolina 17.6°C
13 Broad Creek North Carolina 17.2°C
14 Emerald Isle North Carolina 17.2°C
15 Pine Knoll Shores North Carolina 17.2°C
16 Cape Carteret North Carolina 16.5°C
17 Cedar Point North Carolina 16.5°C
18 Swansboro North Carolina 16.5°C
19 New River Inlet, North Carolina North Carolina 16.1°C
20 Ocean City Beach (fishing pier), North Carolina North Carolina 16.1°C
21 Onslow Beach North Carolina 16.1°C
22 Atlantic Beach Bridge, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
23 Beaufort Inlet Channel Range, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
24 Beaufort, Taylor Creek, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
25 Cape Lookout Bight North Carolina 15.9°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 Channel Marker Lt. 59, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
27 Core Creek Bridge, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
28 Duke Marine Lab, Beaufort North Carolina 15.9°C
29 Fort Macon, USCG Station, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
30 Gallant Channel, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
31 Harkers Island Bridge, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
32 Lenoxville Point, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
33 Morehead City Harbor, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
34 Morehead City, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
35 N.C. State Fisheries, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
36 Newport River (Yacht Club), North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
37 North River Bridge, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
38 Shell Point, Harkers Island, North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
39 Triple ESS Marina, Bogue Sd., North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
40 Triple S Marina, Bogue Sd., North Carolina North Carolina 15.9°C
41 Triple S Pier, Atlantic Beach North Carolina 15.9°C
42 Bald Head Island North Carolina 15.7°C
43 Oak Island North Carolina 15.7°C
44 Southport North Carolina 15.7°C
45 Pamlico Sound North Carolina 15.6°C
46 Surf City North Carolina 15.4°C
47 Topsail Beach North Carolina 15.4°C
48 Ocracoke, Ocracoke Island North Carolina 15.3°C
49 Holden Beach North Carolina 15.3°C
50 Ocean Isle Beach North Carolina 15.3°C

Coldest 10 in North Carolina in December

Same data the other way.

# Location December mean
1 Belhaven North Carolina 9.6°C
2 Cedar Island North Carolina 9.6°C
3 Columbia North Carolina 9.6°C
4 Manns Harbor, outer coast North Carolina 10.4°C
5 Edenton North Carolina 10.5°C
6 Hertford North Carolina 10.5°C
7 Oriental North Carolina 10.8°C
8 Pamlico River North Carolina 10.8°C
9 Rose Bay North Carolina 10.8°C
10 Swanquarter North Carolina 10.8°C

Other US states

Related rankings