Average Ocean Temperatures for Washington State

Average ocean temperatures for northern Washington state are listed below for each month in degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Celsius.

The three sites with measurements are 1) Neah Bay at the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula, 2) Port Townsend on the northeast side of the Olympic Peninsula at the entrance to Puget Sound and 3) Seattle in the midst of Puget Sound.

Among these locations, the ocean at Seattle is generally the warmest, reaching an average of 56 °F (13 °C) from mid July until mid September. Neah Bay is more exposed than the other spots to the open Pacific, and has slightly cooler water in summer and fall. Yet in March, Neah Bay is where the warmest ocean can be found.

The coolest sea water of the year sits off Port Townsend in winter, where it averages 44 °F (7 °C) in January and February.

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

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
  Seattle Port Townsend Neah Bay
January 47 44 45
February 46 44 46
March 46 46 47
April 49 48 49
May 51 50 51
June 54 52 53
July 56 54 53
August 56 54 53
September 56 54 53
October 54 52 52
November 51 50 49
December 49 46 47
Annual 51 49 50
Water temperature averages in °C
  Seattle Port Townsend Neah Bay
January 8 7 7
February 8 7 8
March 8 8 8
April 9 9 9
May 10 10 10
June 12 11 11
July 13 12 12
August 13 12 12
September 13 12 11
October 12 11 11
November 11 10 9
December 9 8 8
Annual 11 10 10
Reference

National Oceanographic Data Center. NOAA. NODC Coastal Water Temperature Guide (CWTG).

Pacific Temperatures
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