Climate. The main general climatic types of the Pacific Northwest are temperate oceanic, where cool temperatures and frequent cloudy skies are typical: both moderate and four seasons, but mountainous and arid climates occupy much of the less inhabited or inland areas of the region.
Winter temperatures and precipitation will be close to normal, on average, with below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will occur in mid-January and early and late February. The snowiest periods will occur in early December and from mid- to late February. April and May will be slightly cooler and drier than normal.
Pacific OceanAs the second warmest ocean, much of its surface temperatures is about 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 Celsius), but near the North and South Poles, this goes down to about 28 Fahrenheit (-2 Celsius). Depth: on average, about 14,040 feet.
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.
Average Ocean Temperatures for Washington State.
| September |
|---|
| Seattle | 56 |
|---|
| Port Townsend | 54 |
|---|
| Neah Bay | 53 |
|---|
Rainy is the word along the Northwest Coast. The maritime climate means mild temperatures, frequently overcast days, and lots of precipitation. The Olympic Mountains catch much of the ecoregion's rainfall. Overall, precipitation ranges from 60 to 240 inches, much of it falling in the late fall to early spring.
Cold waters, rough conditions, and deadly rip currents are just part of the reason you really, really should not try to swim in the Pacific off the Oregon coast. The ocean on this coast is always freezing cold: always about 55 degrees or so.
Answer: Although it might seem illogical, the Atlantic Ocean is warmer. For any given latitude, the Atlantic Ocean has proved to be about 16 degrees F (9 degrees C) warmer than the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. coast – quite a difference.
It is produced by equatorial trade winds that blow from east to west, piling up warm surface water in the west Pacific, and also pushing surface water away from the equator itself. This makes way for colder waters to well up from the depths, creating the cold tongue.
Looking at the entire oceans, however, the Pacific Ocean is by far the warmest overall ocean because it has about four times the intense sun-heated surface area in the tropics compared with the Atlantic Ocean.
The water temperature right now is at least 45°F and at most 88°F.
Interesting Sea Facts:The saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea with 41 parts of salt per 1,000 parts of water. The warmest sea in the world is the Red Sea, where temperatures range from 68 degrees to 87.8 degrees F depending upon which part you measure.
The Balboa Peninsula provides shelter from the open Pacific to make Newport Beach waters the warmest in California year round.
The water along the coast of California is cold for a couple of reasons. First, the California Current brings cold water from Alaska southward along the coast. And second, cold water from the deep ocean comes up to the surface through a process called upwelling.
Winter temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along California's coast typically range from 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16.5 degrees Celsius) off Newport Beach on the southern coast to 51 degrees F (10.6 °C) at Crescent City and Trinidad near the state's northern end.
The Best West Coast Beaches
- Laguna Beach, California. Beaches don't get much more quintessentially Californian than Laguna Beach, an iconic strand in the heart of the upscale O.C.
- Pfeiffer Beach, California.
- Long Beach, Washington.
- Clearwater Beach, Florida.
- Cape May, New Jersey.
- South Beach, Florida.
The region still gets much of its rain in winter and little in summer, like the rest of the Pacific Northwest, but amounts are less than half that of more northerly counterparts. Wintertime temperatures range from the mid-40s to mid-60s, and summer sees mid-50s to low-70s on average.
The climate of the West is semi-arid, yet parts of the region get high amounts of rain or snow. The seasonal temperatures vary greatly throughout the West. Low elevations on the West Coast have warm summers and mild winters with little to no snow. The desert southwest has very hot summers and mild winters.
Climate West (United States of America) West's climate is classified as warm and temperate. There is significant rainfall throughout the year in West. Even the driest month still has a lot of rainfall.
Seattle Temperatures: Averages by Month
| High °F | Low °F | High °C |
|---|
| 61 | 47 | 16 |
| 52 | 41 | 11 |
| 47 | 36 | 8 |
| 61 | 46 | 16 |
Unlike some of the nearby beaches in Santa Monica Bay, Zuma opens right on to the Pacific Ocean so it's waters can be a bit colder and more unpredictable, but on a calm day, it's a great spot to swim and body surf. Rough surf or not, Zuma remains one of the most popular and best swimming beaches in southern California.
In fact, snowfall at sea level locations in California is even more rare than snowfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast (aside from coastal Florida). In the climate of the past several decades, one can expect to see snowfall somewhere along the U.S. Gulf Coast about once every five years.
