Big Bend
Suwannee Water Temperature
Where the Suwannee River meets the Gulf.
Sea-surface temperature
WarmWarming · last two weeks
That is about 5°F warmer than average for this time of year, and warming over the last two weeks. The November average here is 70°F.
Updated Saturday, November 7 — sea-surface temperature modeled for Suwannee by Open-Meteo.
Out in the open Gulf, NOAA buoy 42036 — 100 miles offshore — is reading 80°F. Deep water offshore runs cooler than the shallows in summer and warmer in winter, so it won't match the beach.
For swimming
Warm
About as good as it gets — warm enough to stay in for hours without getting chilled.
For fishing
Peak season
Snook, redfish and tarpon are all active and feeding. The tarpon migration through the passes runs at the upper end of this range.
The last two weeks
| Date | Average |
|---|---|
| Oct 25 | 72.3°F |
| Oct 26 | 72.1°F |
| Oct 27 | 71.8°F |
| Oct 28 | 71.8°F |
| Oct 29 | 72°F |
| Oct 30 | 72.3°F |
| Oct 31 | 72.7°F |
| Nov 1 | 73°F |
| Nov 2 | 73.2°F |
| Nov 3 | 73.6°F |
| Nov 4 | 74.1°F |
| Nov 5 | 74.8°F |
| Nov 6 | 75.4°F |
| Nov 7 | 75.2°F |
Suwannee 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.
| Month | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
JanJanuary Cold | 50–62°F | 56°F |
FebFebruary Bracing | 56–69°F | 62°F |
MarMarch Cool but comfortable | 62–74°F | 68°F |
AprApril Cool but comfortable | 70–79°F | 74°F |
MayMay Warm | 74–87°F | 81°F |
JunJune Very warm | 80–89°F | 85°F |
JulJuly Bath water | 86–90°F | 88°F |
AugAugust Bath water | 84–91°F | 89°F |
SepSeptember Very warm | 81–88°F | 85°F |
OctOctober Warm | 71–84°F | 77°F |
NovNovembernow Cool but comfortable | 64–78°F | 70°F |
DecDecember Bracing | 57–66°F | 61°F |
Warmest
89°FAugust
Coolest
56°FJanuary
Warmest on average in August at 89°F; coolest in January at 56°F.
The water at Suwannee
The town of Suwannee sits at the delta where the Suwannee River braids out into the Gulf, and that mix is the whole story: you can catch largemouth bass in the river and redfish on the oyster bars in the same trip. The tannic freshwater push colors the nearshore water and keeps the flats productive, and the maze of creeks and islands offers shelter when the Gulf gets nasty.
the Suwannee River mouth & the Gulf
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 Suwannee; 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 Suwannee right now?
- The water at Suwannee is currently about 75°F (24°C). The November average here is 70°F.
- Is the water warm enough to swim at Suwannee in November?
- November averages 70°F at Suwannee, which most people would call cool but comfortable. Refreshing rather than cold — comfortable once you're past the first minute.
- When is the water warmest at Suwannee?
- August is the warmest month on average at 89°F, and January the coolest at 56°F. 6 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.