Salty Forecast

Treasure Coast

Fort Pierce Water Temperature

Fort Pierce Inlet & the jetties

85°F29°C

That is about 2°F cooler than average for this time of year, and holding steady over the last two weeks. The August average here is 87°F.

Updated Thursday, August 6 — sea-surface temperature modeled for Fort Pierce by Open-Meteo.

Out in the open Gulf, NOAA buoy 41010 — 146 miles offshore — is reading 85°F. Deep water offshore runs cooler than the shallows in summer and warmer in winter, so it won't match the beach.

For swimming

Very warm

Bath-warm. Pleasant, though it stops being much relief from the heat of the day.

For fishing

Hot — fish the edges of the day

Early and late is the play. Through the middle of the day fish drop into deeper channels and passes where there's moving water and more oxygen.

The last two weeks

86
87
87
87
87
85
85
85
86
86
86
86
84
85
Friday, July 24Thursday, August 6

Daily average sea-surface temperature, °F.

Fort Pierce water temperature by month

Averaged from 3 years of daily sea-surface temperature (2023–2025). The range column is the coolest and warmest daily average recorded in that month over the period — a guide to how much any given year can differ, not a record high and low.

MonthAverageRangeSwimming
January70°F6276°FCool but comfortable
February72°F6576°FCool but comfortable
March74°F7178°FCool but comfortable
April77°F7480°FWarm
May81°F7786°FWarm
June84°F7987°FVery warm
July86°F8389°FVery warm
Augustnow87°F8489°FVery warm
September86°F8388°FVery warm
October80°F7787°FWarm
November76°F7280°FWarm
December72°F6676°FCool but comfortable

Warmest on average in August at 87°F; coolest in January at 70°F.

What moves the water temperature here

The Gulf shelf off this coast is shallow, which is why the water swings so much more between summer and winter than open ocean at the same latitude does. Shallow water heats fast and gives that heat up fast: a single strong winter cold front can pull the inshore bays several degrees down in a couple of days, while the beaches a mile offshore barely move. Wind direction matters too — a sustained offshore breeze can pull cooler water up from below and drop the beach temperature noticeably in a morning.

Inshore bays, canals and flats run warmer than the beach through the summer and colder through the winter, for the same reason. The reading above is for the open water at Fort Pierce; expect the back bays to be a few degrees either side of it depending on the season.

Common questions

What is the water temperature at Fort Pierce right now?
The water at Fort Pierce is currently about 85°F (29°C). The August average here is 87°F.
Is the water warm enough to swim at Fort Pierce in August?
August averages 87°F at Fort Pierce, which most people would call very warm. Bath-warm. Pleasant, though it stops being much relief from the heat of the day.
When is the water warmest at Fort Pierce?
August is the warmest month on average at 87°F, and January the coolest at 70°F. 8 months of the year average 75°F or above.
Why does the water temperature change so quickly here?
The Gulf shelf off this coast is shallow, so it heats and cools far faster than deep open ocean. A strong winter cold front can pull the inshore water down several degrees in a couple of days, and a sustained offshore wind can drop beach temperatures in a single morning by pulling cooler water up from below.

More for Fort Pierce

Water temperature nearby