Water normally boils at about 100 °C (212 °F) at sea-level pressure.

Quick Scoop: The basics

  • At standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm at sea level), liquid water’s boiling point is 100 °C.
  • In Fahrenheit, that’s 212 °F.
  • Technically, the “normal” boiling point is very close to 100 °C (around 99.97 °C), but for everyday use everyone just says 100 °C.

Why the temperature can change

The boiling point isn’t a fixed magical number; it depends on air pressure.

  • Higher altitude (mountains): air pressure is lower, so water boils at a lower temperature (for example, on Mount Everest it’s around 71 °C / 160 °F).
  • Below sea level or in a pressure cooker: pressure is higher, so water boils at a higher temperature (over 100 °C / 212 °F).

Mini example

If you’re cooking at sea level and your pot is at a rolling boil, the water is about 100 °C, no matter how fierce the burner looks.

If you took that same pot to a high mountain town, it would start boiling sooner but at a lower temperature, so food can take longer to cook.

TL;DR: For “what temp is boiling water” in normal everyday conditions, the practical answer is 100 °C or 212 °F at sea level.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.