Why are our beaches colder than those on the East Coast?

Why are west coast beaches colder than East Coast beaches? It's a process known as upwelling, which plays out along the entire U.S. Pacific coast. Upwelling explains why water temperatures along California, Oregon and Washington beaches are much cooler than similar-latitude beaches in the East.



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That is true because ocean waters rotate in clockwise fashion. This means Atlantic waters travel to the U.S. East Coast from the south and are relatively warm compared with West Coast Pacific waters that arrive from the north out of the chilly Gulf of Alaska.

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It's a process known as upwelling, which plays out along the entire U.S. Pacific coast. Upwelling explains why water temperatures along California, Oregon and Washington beaches are much cooler than similar-latitude beaches in the East.

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It's a process known as upwelling, which plays out along the entire U.S. Pacific coast. Upwelling explains why water temperatures along California, Oregon and Washington beaches are much cooler than similar-latitude beaches in the East.

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There are two general reasons as to why the water temps are much colder on the West Coast compared to the East Coast. The first reason is because of the California cold current that runs along the coast from Canada to Central America. The second reason is upwelling.

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What does Earth's rotation have to do with ocean temperatures off San Diego? The average water temperature off Scripps Pier in September is 66 F. Follow San Diego's line of latitude (32.7 N) over to Charleston, SC, and you will experience an average water temperature of 82 F.

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Ocean currents in the Subtropical Gyre transport cooler waters from the northeast Pacific to the west and south, warming as it moves to the subtropical Pacific and the vicinity of Hawai'i. Similarly, warm water from the western subtropical Pacific is transported towards Japan, cooling as it moves northward.

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Monthly average max / min water temperatures The graph below shows the range of monthly Jersey City water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data. The warmest water temperature is in August with an average around 74.3°F / 23.5°C.

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