Pool season · Massachusetts
Fall River Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Fall River'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.
Fall River, MA — 59 swim days a yearThe bar compresses Fall River's whole pool year into one lane rope: gray floats for the off-season, hollow teal for the May 11–June 1 opening window, solid teal for swim weeks, hollow amber for the closing stretch that ends October 2. Wherever the today marker sits, the nearest color change is your next appointment.
The Fall River pool calendar
Opening — target May 18
Open by May 18 — a two-week head start on the June 1 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.
Closing — deadline October 2
Hold the cover until September 22, then winterize by October 2, a week ahead of the October 15 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
This is Fall River's typical-year water curve: the same EWMA model as the live widget, run on the 1991–2020 normals instead of this week's weather.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32° | 30° | 35° | 43° | 52° | 62° | 70° | 72° | 67° | 58° | 48° | 39° |
The curve peaks near 72°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.
Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Cambridge's pool season and Lawrence's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Massachusetts season index.
Fall River pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Fall River, MA?
Target May 18. That date backs off two weeks from the day Fall River's 7-day mean temperature reaches 61°F, so you start up in cold, algae-resistant water. Work the full checklist in the Fall River opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Fall River?
The closing deadline is October 2 — late enough that the water has cooled out of the algae zone, early enough to beat Fall River's first-freeze normal by about a week. See the Fall River closing guide for the winterizing steps.
How long is the swim season in Fall River?
Fall River averages 59 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — about 5 days later than the Massachusetts median. The Massachusetts season index ranks all 14 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Fall River?
An unheated pool near Fall River typically peaks around 72°F in high summer and bottoms out near 30°F in winter, never quite reaching the 78°F comfort line without a heater or solar cover. The month-by-month curve above shows the whole cycle; the methodology page explains the ±5°F error bars.
Email me when Fall River hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via New Bedford Municipal Airport (7.8 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.