Chesapeake Bay Water Temperature Today
Measured, not modelled: every NOAA CO-OPS water-temperature sensor on the Bay, the tidal Potomac and the Virginia seaside, north to south, with the past week's trend. Readings update every six minutes; the buoys below add open-water temperatures. Use the station links for tides and conditions.
| Station | Now | Past 7 days | Range & trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake City North of Pooles Island | … | ||
| Baltimore Patapsco River & Baltimore Harbor | … | ||
| Tolchester Beach Pooles Island to Sandy Point | … | ||
| Annapolis Sandy Point to North Beach | … | ||
| Washington Key Bridge to Indian Head | … | ||
| Cambridge Choptank & Little Choptank | … | ||
| Dahlgren Indian Head to Cobb Island | … | ||
| Solomons Island Patuxent River to Broomes Island | … | ||
| Bishops Head Tangier Sound & Bloodsworth Island | … | ||
| Lewisetta Cobb Island to Smith Point | … | ||
| Wachapreague Chincoteague to Parramore Island | … | ||
| Yorktown USCG Training Center York River | … | ||
| Kiptopeke New Point Comfort to Little Creek | … | ||
| Sewells Point New Point Comfort to Little Creek | … |
NOAA CO-OPS water temperature, °F, hourly history for the sparkline. Sensors sit near the surface at piers and lights; open-water and deep readings differ, especially in summer.
Buoys — water and air
What the temperature means
- 0–50 °F — Cold: striper and tautog country at the Bay mouth; fish slow and deep. Below 50 °F cold-water immersion is a real danger — wear a PFD.
- 50–60 °F — Cool: spring runs start and the fall bite peaks; most species are active but want slower presentations.
- 60–70 °F — Prime: the widest range of species feeding and the most predictable tide-change bites.
- 70–80 °F — Warm: summer species (cobia, Spanish mackerel, croaker) arrive; stripers go shallow at dawn and dusk and sulk mid-day.
- 80–90+ °F — Hot: oxygen is scarce in deep water. Fish the first and last light, the shallows and moving water, and release fish quickly.
A typical year on the Bay
Surface water bottoms out in the mid-30s to low 40s in January and February (ice forms in the upper Bay and creeks in hard winters), climbs through the 50s in April, reaches the 70s by mid-June and peaks in the low-to-mid 80s in late July and August. The fall cool-down runs through the 60s in October and back into the 40s by December. The lower Bay, flushed by ocean water, runs a few degrees cooler in summer and warmer in winter than the shallow upper Bay.
Cold-water safety: below about 60 °F an unexpected swim causes cold shock and rapid loss of grip; below 50 °F survival time is measured in minutes without a life jacket. From November to April on the Bay, wear it.