Pool season · California
Salinas Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 15, 2026 · dates · water temp
One bar, one year, one Salinas pool. The season bar below draws everything the model knows — opening window, prime season, closing window — against today's date, with the working details one click away on the opening and closing pages.
Each dot on the bar is one week of Salinas'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 16–June 6), solid teal is swim season, and hollow amber is the closing window ending October 31. The black marker is today — its position against the colors is the entire executive summary.
The Salinas pool calendar
Opening — target May 23
Open by May 23 — a two-week head start on the June 6 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.
Closing — deadline October 31
Hold the cover until October 21, then winterize by October 31, a week ahead of the December 10 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Salinas'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° | 53° | 54° | 56° | 58° | 61° | 62° | 63° | 64° | 63° | 59° | 53° |
The curve peaks near 64°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.
Email me when Salinas hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Salinas Municipal Airport (2.2 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.