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The Water Around Us

Typical water · NOAA monthly averages

Best beaches to visit in Winter

The top picks for each month of winter, where the water usually averages 70°F or warmer. For what the water is doing today, see this week’s live picks.

December

All December picks →
  1. Number 1

    Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach

    Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida · ★ 4.8

    77°Faverage water in December

    Source: NOAA, 8722670 - Lake Worth Pier, FL, 29.5 mi

  2. Number 2

    South Pointe Beach

    Florida · ★ 4.8

    75°Faverage water in December

    Source: NOAA, 8723214 - Virginia Key, FL, 3.2 mi

  3. Number 3

    Waikīkī Beach

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    78°Faverage water in December

    Source: NOAA, Honolulu, HI, 3.2 mi

January

All January picks →
  1. Number 1

    Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach

    Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida · ★ 4.8

    75°Faverage water in January

    Source: NOAA, 8722670 - Lake Worth Pier, FL, 29.5 mi

  2. Number 2

    South Pointe Beach

    Florida · ★ 4.8

    73°Faverage water in January

    Source: NOAA, 8723214 - Virginia Key, FL, 3.2 mi

  3. Number 3

    Waikīkī Beach

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    77°Faverage water in January

    Source: NOAA, Honolulu, HI, 3.2 mi

February

All February picks →
  1. Number 1

    Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach

    Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida · ★ 4.8

    75°Faverage water in February

    Source: NOAA, 8722670 - Lake Worth Pier, FL, 29.5 mi

  2. Number 2

    South Pointe Beach

    Florida · ★ 4.8

    74°Faverage water in February

    Source: NOAA, 8723214 - Virginia Key, FL, 3.2 mi

  3. Number 3

    Waikīkī Beach

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    77°Faverage water in February

    Source: NOAA, Honolulu, HI, 3.2 mi

How we pick

We start from U.S. beaches rated 4.3★ or higher across 200+ Google reviews, plus a short hand-picked list of typically calm Hawaii beaches that have no ratings in our data (280 have a NOAA station close enough to use). A beach makes a month’s list when its nearest station in the NOAA Coastal Water Temperature Guide averages 70°F or warmer that month — below that, sudden entry risks cold shock. Picks are ranked by a review-weighted rating, with at most two per state and one per station. Averages describe a typical year, not this one, and a station can sit a few miles offshore.