Pool season · California
Berkeley Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 15, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Berkeley's pool year: both model windows, the estimated water-temperature curve, and today's live position on the season bar. The detailed checklists live on the opening and closing guides; this page is the calendar you check between them.
Each dot on the bar is one week of Berkeley's typical year, colored by what the model says that week is for: gray weeks are off-season, hollow teal marks the opening window (May 7–May 28), solid teal is swim season, and hollow amber is the closing window ending November 5. The black marker is today — its position against the colors is the entire executive summary.
The Berkeley pool calendar
Opening — target May 14
Target May 14; the practical window runs May 7–May 28, and the 7-day mean crosses the 61°F threshold around May 28. Cold-water starts are the cheap ones.
Closing — deadline November 5
Hold the cover until October 26, then winterize by November 5, a week ahead of the January 1 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Berkeley's own normals — the shape of a typical year, not a forecast. The widget above shows where the current year actually sits.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51° | 52° | 54° | 56° | 58° | 62° | 64° | 64° | 65° | 64° | 59° | 53° |
The curve peaks near 65°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.
Email me when Berkeley hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Berkeley (0.9 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.