PoolWindow

Pool season · Nebraska

Lincoln Pool Season: the Year on One Bar

Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp

One bar, one year, one Lincoln 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.

Courtyard swimming pool at dawn in a temperate climateLincoln, NE — 111 swim days a year
J F M A M J J A S O N D today (build date)

off-season opening window swim season closing window

Reading it takes ten seconds: 52 dots, one per week. Solid teal is Lincoln's swim season; the hollow teal run before it (April 20 to May 11) is when to open; the hollow amber run after is when to close, with October 6 as the deadline; gray is the covered season. Today's marker shows where you stand in that cycle right now.

The Lincoln pool calendar

April 27open by
October 6close by
11180°F+ days
78°Fwater peak

Opening — target April 27

Open by April 27 — a two-week head start on the May 11 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.

Full opening guide

Closing — deadline October 6

The window opens September 30 once water leaves the algae zone; the model deadline is October 6, a week ahead of the October 13 freeze normal.

Full closing guide

Where the water sits today

SEASONAL VIEW

Estimated unheated pool water temp (site model, ±5°F). The live estimate loads in your browser from Open-Meteo air temperatures; in a typical year Lincoln water runs about 25°F at its winter floor and 78°F at its summer peak.

40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 58 open 65 algae

Estimated water temperature by month

Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Lincoln's own normals — the shape of a typical year, not a forecast. The widget above shows where the current year actually sits.

10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec65° algae zone58° swimmable startopen Apr 27close Oct 678°F peak25°F floor
Site-model seasonal water estimates for an unheated in-ground pool near Lincoln Municipal Airport — ±5°F, see methodology.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
26°26°36°48°58°70°77°77°72°61°46°34°

The curve peaks near 78°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.

Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Omaha's pool season or jump back to the Nebraska season index to see the statewide spread.

Lincoln pool season FAQ

When should I open my pool in Lincoln, NE?

The site model recommends opening by April 27 — about two weeks before Lincoln's 7-day mean temperature crosses 61°F, while the water is still too cold for algae. The step-by-step sequence is in the Lincoln opening guide.

When should I close my pool in Lincoln?

Winterize by October 6. The model holds the deadline a week ahead of Lincoln's NOAA 50% first-freeze date, so the plumbing is protected before the first hard night. The full sequence is in the Lincoln closing guide.

How long is the swim season in Lincoln?

Lincoln averages 111 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — right on the statewide median. The Nebraska season index ranks all 2 covered cities by the same metric.

How warm does pool water get in Lincoln?

An unheated pool near Lincoln typically peaks around 78°F in high summer and bottoms out near 25°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.

Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Lincoln Municipal Airport (4.6 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.