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Warmest sea in United States in December

4,477 coastal locations in United States ranked by their typical December sea temperature. Region-wide average in December: 12.4°C. The top of the list is where to find the warmest swimming this month.

Warmest in December

Palmyra Island

28.4°C December mean in United States

Regional December average

12.4°C

across all 4,477 coastal locations in United States

Vs annual mean

-3.8°C

below the year-round regional average

What the United States sea 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.

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 December fits in the year

December 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 December mean, useful for trip planning weeks or months ahead.

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 United States locations in December

Sorted by the typical December mean built from a decade of daily readings at each location. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and full 10-year history.

# Location December mean
1 Palmyra Island Northern Line Islands 28.4°C
2 Howland Island Minor Outlying Islands 28.1°C
3 Wake Island, Pacific Ocean Minor Outlying Islands 27.5°C
4 Long Island New York 27.1°C
5 Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean Minor Outlying Islands 27.0°C
6 Johnston Atoll Minor Outlying Islands 27.0°C
7 Boynton Beach Florida 26.6°C
8 Briny Breezes Florida 26.6°C
9 Hypoluxo Florida 26.6°C
10 Lake Worth Florida 26.6°C
11 Lantana Florida 26.6°C
12 Manalapan Florida 26.6°C
13 Mar-a-Lago Florida 26.6°C
14 Ocean Ridge Florida 26.6°C
15 South Palm Beach Florida 26.6°C
16 West Palm Beach Florida 26.6°C
17 Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Florida 26.6°C
18 Lake Worth ICW Florida 26.6°C
19 Lake Worth (ICWW) Florida 26.6°C
20 Lake Worth Pier, Florida 26.6°C
21 Palm Beach, Highway 704 bridge, Lake Worth, Florida Florida 26.6°C
22 Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Florida Florida 26.6°C
23 West Palm Beach Canal, Lake Worth, Florida Florida 26.6°C
24 Jarvis Island Minor Outlying Islands 26.5°C
25 Napoopoo, Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii Island, Hawaii Hawaii 26.4°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 Carysfort Reef, Florida Florida 26.2°C
27 Key Largo Florida 26.1°C
28 Molasses Reef Florida 26.1°C
29 Pennekamp Florida 26.1°C
30 Rodriguez Key Florida 26.1°C
31 Kealakekua Bay Hawaii 26.1°C
32 Mahukona, Hawaii Island, Hawaii Hawaii 26.1°C
33 Atlantic Heights Florida 26.1°C
34 Bahia Mar Yacht Club, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Florida 26.1°C
35 Bal Harbour Florida 26.1°C
36 Boca Raton, Lake Boca Raton Florida 26.1°C
37 Boca Raton Florida 26.1°C
38 Coral Springs Florida 26.1°C
39 Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro River, Florida Florida 26.1°C
40 Deerfield Beach Florida 26.1°C
41 Delray Beach, ICWW, Florida Florida 26.1°C
42 Delray Beach Florida 26.1°C
43 Fisher Island Florida 26.1°C
44 Golden Beach Florida 26.1°C
45 Gulf Stream Florida 26.1°C
46 Hallandale Beach Florida 26.1°C
47 Haulover Park Florida 26.1°C
48 Highland Beach Florida 26.1°C
49 Hillsboro Beach, ICWW, Florida Florida 26.1°C
50 Hillsboro Beach Florida 26.1°C

Coldest 10 in United States in December

Same data the other way. Helpful if you want to know which United States coasts to avoid for swimming in December.

# Location December mean
1 Barrow Alaska -1.7°C
2 Point Barrow, Alaska Alaska -1.7°C
3 Point Barrow Alaska -1.7°C
4 Barrow (offshore) Alaska -1.6°C
5 Cape Krusenstern, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
6 Cape Espenberg, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
7 Prudhoe Bay #2 Alaska -1.6°C
8 Flaxman Island Alaska -1.6°C
9 Goodhope Bay, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.6°C
10 Kotzebue, Kotzebue Sound Alaska -1.5°C

More on this region