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
Reference

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

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