United States · Big Sur
McWay Cove
Sea
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Air
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UV
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Climate · monthly averages
Sea temperature by month
30-year averages (1996–2025). Min/Max are typical daily lows and highs, not record extremes.
43°F
46°F
50°F
54°F
57°F
61°F
64°F
January
53.6°F(52°F–56°F)
February
53.0°F(51°F–55°F)
March
52.4°F(50°F–55°F)
April
51.3°F(49°F–53°F)
May
51.5°F(50°F–54°F)
June
52.4°F(51°F–55°F)
July
54.3°F(52°F–57°F)
August
56.2°F(54°F–60°F)
September
57.2°F(54°F–61°F)
October
56.7°F(55°F–60°F)
November
55.7°F(53°F–59°F)
December
54.6°F(52°F–58°F)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MinMin °F | 5251.8 | 5150.9 | 5050.3 | 4949.1 | 5049.7 | 5150.8 | 5252.3 | 5453.8 | 5454.4 | 5554.6 | 5353.2 | 5252.3 |
| AvgAvg °F | 5453.6 | 5353.0 | 5252.4 | 5151.3 | 5251.5 | 5252.4 | 5454.3 | 5656.2 | 5757.2 | 5756.7 | 5655.7 | 5554.6 |
| MaxMax °F | 5655.8 | 5555.4 | 5554.9 | 5353.0 | 5453.7 | 5554.8 | 5757.2 | 6060.3 | 6160.7 | 6060.1 | 5958.6 | 5857.5 |
Warmest in September (57.2°F). Coldest in April (51.3°F). Rarely comfortable for swimming.
About McWay Cove
The Big Sur coast turns on McWay Cove, where the 24-metre McWay Falls drops straight onto the sand as one of only two perennial tidefalls in California, viewable from a clifftop overlook in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Five kilometres north, Pfeiffer Beach is known for manganese-garnet purple sand and the Keyhole Rock arch; Sand Dollar Beach, the area's longest, stretches south. The Pacific peaks at 14-16 °C in August and September — swimming is not the point, with Monterey airport ninety minutes up Highway 1.