Survival Time in Cold Water

Time to exhaustion and death for humans in cold water. This tool helps estimate survival times based on water temperature.

Time to exhaustion and death for humans in cold water.

Cold water - survival time

The survival time for a person in cold water is limited as indicated in the table below.

Calculator

Water Temperature (°F)

Temperature (Celsius)-- °C

Exhaustion Time-- hours

Death Time-- hours

Water Temperature (°F)	Water Temperature (°C)	Exhaustion Time (hours)	Death Time (hours)
80	27	unlimited	unlimited
70 - 80	21 - 27	3 - 12	3 - unlimited
60 - 70	16 - 21	2 - 7	2 - 40
50 - 60	10 - 16	1 - 2	1 - 6
40 - 50	4 - 10	0.5 - 1	1 - 3
32.5 - 40	0 - 4	0.25 - 0.5	0.5 - 1.5
32.5	0	< 15 min	15 - 45 min