Record-breaking data emphasizes a winter warmup both on land and at sea in La Jolla, with some trends continuing from last year.

La Jolla’s latest winter was less chilly and more hilly, with temperature peaks in the water well above average and air temperatures keeping with the warming trends of recent years.

Most noteworthy is the water temperature data, hitting records at least a dozen times in 2026, as measured at the Scripps Pier Shore Station, which collects data and sets it in context with measurements beginning in 1916.

Ocean water temperatures – measured in sea surface temperatures or SSTs – since the start of the year are well above the long-term averages and the temperatures recorded last year, with late-March data showing record temperatures not seen before the summer months.

The water temperature in 2026 has not fallen below 60 degrees Fahrenheit all winter; the usual averages for La Jolla’s ocean temperatures hover between 55 and 60 degrees.

The warmer water is part of a large marine heat wave, according to a NOAA marine heat wave tracker that shows temperatures along the West Coast are a large departure above normal temperatures.

“Large marine heatwaves have occurred each of the last six years,” NOAA stated. “Of the last six years, five of these were the largest heatwaves on record for the eastern North Pacific since monitoring began in 1982.”

Current SSTs “are among the warmest ever seen for this time of year,” NOAA continued, rivaled only by the strongest El Niño on record during 1997-1998 and the “warm blob” years of 2014-2015.

Winter marine heat waves are concerning for scientists, as persistent temperature anomalies impact everything from ecosystems to economies.

Rising ocean temperatures have already been blamed in part for contributing to the decline of local kelp forests, coral destruction, oyster deaths and more.

Out of water, average daily high temperatures in La Jolla were in the upper 60s all winter long, which mirrored data from 2025, according to AccuWeather.

The long-term average high for winter is 65 degrees; the 2026 average was 67 degrees.

The slight warming trend was accompanied by many above-average days before the 2026 spring equinox, however, leading to county-wide heat advisories March 14 through 20 and recorded temperatures through La Jolla reaching an unusual 74 to 80 degrees in various pockets of ZIP code 92037.