Pacific Ocean Water Temperature: Current & Historical Data for Coastal Resorts

The water temperature in the Pacific Ocean today ranges from 43°F (6°C) in Punta Arenas (Chile) to 88°F (31°C) in Nuevo Vallarta (Mexico).

Yes, it is possible to swim in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where the water temperature is warmer.

The highest water temperature in the Pacific Ocean occurs in August, reaching 91°F (33°C), while the lowest is in February, dropping to 27°F (-3°C).

No, the Pacific Ocean is slightly warmer than the Bering Sea, as its average annual water temperature is 61°F (16°C), while the Bering Sea's is 43°F (6°C).

The Pacific Ocean washes Tonga, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Solomon Islands, Pitcairn, Northern Mariana Islands, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Norfolk Island, Nauru, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Kiribati, American Samoa, New Zealand, Guam, Japan, United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

The most popular beach destinations on the Pacific Ocean are San Diego (United States), Los Angeles (United States), Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), San Francisco (United States), Encinitas (United States), Santa Barbara (United States), Waikiki (United States), Pacifica (United States), Newport Beach (United States).

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth in terms of area and depth. Located between the continents of Eurasia and Australia in the west, North and South America in the east, Antarctica in the south.

The climate of the Pacific Ocean is formed due to the zonal distribution of solar radiation and atmospheric circulation, as well as the powerful seasonal influence of the Asian continent. Almost all climatic zones can be distinguished in the ocean. In the northern temperate zone, in winter, the Aleutian pressure minimum is the baric center, which is weakly expressed in summer. To the south is the North Pacific Anticyclone. Along the equator, the Equatorial Depression (an area of ​​low pressure) is noted, which is replaced to the south by the South Pacific Anticyclone. Further south, the pressure decreases again and then again gives way to a high pressure area over Antarctica. Wind direction is formed in accordance with the location of the pressure centers. In the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, strong westerly winds prevail in winter, and weak south winds in summer. In the northwest of the ocean, in winter, northerly and northeast monsoon winds are established, which in summer are replaced by southern monsoons. Cyclones occurring at polar fronts determine the high frequency of storm winds in the temperate and circumpolar zones (especially in the southern hemisphere). In the subtropics and tropics of the northern hemisphere, the northeastern trade winds dominate. In the equatorial zone, mostly calm weather is observed throughout the year. In the tropical and subtropical zones of the southern hemisphere, a stable southeastern trade wind dominates, strong in winter and weak in summer. In the tropics, violent tropical hurricanes, here called typhoons, arise (mainly in summer). They usually arise east of the Philippines, from where they move to the northwest and north through Taiwan, Japan and fade out on the approaches to the Bering Sea. Another area of ​​origin of typhoons is the coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Central America. In the forties latitudes of the southern hemisphere, strong and constant westerly winds are observed. In the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere, the winds are subject to the general cyclonic circulation characteristic of the low-pressure Antarctic region.

The distribution of air temperature over the ocean is subordinated to the general latitudinal zoning, but the western part has a warmer climate than the eastern one. In tropical and equatorial zones, average air temperatures prevail from 27.5 ° C to 25.5 ° C. In summer, the 25 ° C isotherm expands northward in the western part of the ocean and only slightly in the eastern, and shifts strongly northward in the southern hemisphere. Passing over the vast expanses of the ocean, the air masses are intensely saturated with moisture. On both sides of the equator, in the equatorial zone, there are two narrow bands of maximum precipitation, outlined by an isohyet of 2000 mm, and along the equator there is a relatively dry zone. In the Pacific Ocean there is no zone of convergence of the northern trade winds with the southern ones. There are two independent zones with excessive moisture and a relatively dry zone separating them. To the east, in the equatorial and tropical zones, the amount of precipitation decreases. The driest areas in the northern hemisphere are adjacent to California, in the southern - to the Peruvian and Chilean basins (coastal areas receive less than 50 mm of rainfall per year).