Gulf Stream

… is a warm current in the Atlantic Ocean that flows out of the Gulf of Mexico along the E coast of the United States and E in the North Atlantic toward Europe. Along the coast of North Carolina, it approaches Cape Hatteras and gives that part of the state a milder winter than would otherwise be the case. Winter temperatures of the surface waters there are approx. 63°, while summer temperatures are about 80°. The Gulf Stream was first described by Benjamin Franklin, and it appears on a map prepared for him in 1770 by Timothy Folger.