Pool season · New York
Manhattan Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Manhattan'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.
Manhattan, NY — 81 swim days a yearEach dot on the bar is one week of Manhattan's typical year, colored by what the model says that week is for: gray weeks are off-season, hollow teal marks the opening window (April 17–May 8), solid teal is swim season, and hollow amber is the closing window ending October 17. The black marker is today — its position against the colors is the entire executive summary.
The Manhattan pool calendar
Opening — target April 24
Open by April 24 — a two-week head start on the May 8 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.
Closing — deadline October 17
The window opens October 7 once water leaves the algae zone; the model deadline is October 17, a week ahead of the November 20 freeze normal.
Estimated water temperature by month
Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Manhattan'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36° | 34° | 39° | 49° | 59° | 68° | 76° | 77° | 73° | 63° | 52° | 43° |
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 Buffalo's pool season and New Rochelle's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the New York season index.
Manhattan pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Manhattan, NY?
Target April 24. That date backs off two weeks from the day Manhattan's 7-day mean temperature reaches 61°F, so you start up in cold, algae-resistant water. Work the full checklist in the Manhattan opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Manhattan?
The closing deadline is October 17 — late enough that the water has cooled out of the algae zone, early enough to beat Manhattan's first-freeze normal by about a week. See the Manhattan closing guide for the winterizing steps.
How long is the swim season in Manhattan?
Manhattan averages 81 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — about 12 days earlier than the New York median. The New York season index ranks all 16 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Manhattan?
An unheated pool near Manhattan typically peaks around 78°F in high summer and bottoms out near 34°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 Manhattan hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via New York Cntrl Peak Twr (0.4 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.