Average Ocean Temperatures for the Texas Gulf Coast

Average water temperatures for each month along the Texas coast are listed below in degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Celsius.

During summer, Texas offers some of the warmest ocean swimming in the United States.

The water temperature usually reaches 86 °F (30 °C) at the Galveston Pleasure Pier in July and August.

The Gulf of Mexico's coolest water of the year along the Texas coast arrives in January, when the temperature drops to 53 °F (12 °C) at Freeport.

Most people will find the ocean off Texas warm enough to enjoy swimming from April to October. That's when the water temperature is usually over 70 °F (21 °C) at any of the state's coastal beaches.

Actual ocean temperatures do of course vary from year to year depending upon the weather and the flow of ocean currents.

Among the four places on the Texas coast that record monthly averages for ocean temperatures, the warmest water is usually at Port Mansfield, located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and protected by Padre Island. During spring, the ocean warms rapidly off Port Mansfield, pushing the temperature there several degrees higher than elsewhere.

Along most of the Texas coast, the ocean temperature peaks in July and August, and begins cooling in September

But at South Padre Island, September offers the warmest water of the year. The ocean there cools more slowly during fall than along the rest of the coast. That makes South Padre Island's water the warmest in Texas from October through December.

These coastal water temperatures are averages compiled by the US National Oceanographic Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Average ocean temperature in °F

	Galveston	Freeport	Port Mansfield	South Padre Island
January	54	53	58	58
February	55	56	61	60
March	61	62	66	64
April	71	71	75	70
May	78	77	79	77
June	83	82	83	79
July	86	84	85	79
August	86	85	85	80
September	83	82	83	83
October	75	75	76	78
November	67	66	69	71
December	59	59	62	64
Annual	72	71	74	72

Average water temperature in °C

	Galveston	Freeport	Port Mansfield	South Padre Island
January	12	12	14	14
February	13	13	16	16
March	16	17	19	18
April	22	22	24	21
May	26	25	26	25
June	28	28	28	26
July	30	29	29	26
August	30	29	29	27
September	28	28	28	28
October	24	24	24	26
November	19	19	21	22
December	15	15	17	18
Annual	22	22	23	22