Why does water have a higher boiling point than expected for such a small molecule?

Water has a significantly higher boiling point than expected for its low molar mass due to the presence of hydrogen bonding.12

While the water molecule ($H_{2}O$) is small, its structure is bent rather than linear, which creates a permanent electric dipole. Because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, the oxygen atom carries a partial negative charge, while the hydrogen atoms carry a partial positive charge.34

These partial charges allow hydrogen atoms in one water molecule to be attracted to the unshared electron pairs of the oxygen atom on adjacent molecules. These electrostatic attractions, known as hydrogen bonds, are stronger than typical van der Waals forces. Consequently, a significant amount of energy is required to overcome these intermolecular interactions to transition water from a liquid to a gas, resulting in an unusually high boiling point.152