Pool season · State index
North Carolina Pool Season Calendar
Last updated: July 15, 2026 · 17 cities covered
Both halves of the pool year for all 17 covered North Carolina cities. The median calendar runs April 4 to October 26. Every row links to a one-page season overview with the live water-temperature model; the opening and closing hubs carry the full checklists.
| City | Open by | Close by | 80°F+ days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex | Apr 7 | Oct 24 | 122 |
| Asheville | Apr 14 | Oct 17 | 100 |
| Burlington | Apr 6 | Oct 26 | 126 |
| Cary | Apr 7 | Oct 24 | 122 |
| Charlotte | Apr 1 | Oct 27 | 133 |
| Concord | Apr 4 | Oct 26 | 144 |
| Durham | Apr 12 | Oct 20 | 105 |
| Fayetteville | Apr 1 | Oct 30 | 143 |
| Gastonia | Mar 30 | Oct 30 | 139 |
| Greensboro | Apr 6 | Oct 24 | 121 |
| Greenville | Mar 30 | Oct 31 | 137 |
| Hickory | Apr 9 | Oct 21 | 111 |
| High Point | Mar 31 | Oct 28 | 132 |
| Jacksonville | Mar 27 | Nov 5 | 138 |
| Raleigh | Apr 3 | Oct 27 | 133 |
| Wilmington | Mar 24 | Nov 8 | 146 |
| Winston-Salem | Apr 7 | Oct 23 | 114 |
What the columns mean
"Open by" is the recommended spring date — two weeks before the city's 7-day mean temperature crosses 61°F, the model's proxy for water approaching the 65°F algae-growth zone. "Close by" is the fall deadline — ten days after the water leaves that zone, capped a week ahead of the local 50% first-freeze date. "80°F+ days" counts days whose normal high reaches 80°F: the length of the true warm-swim season, and the fairest single number for comparing North Carolina cities against each other.
Every figure comes from each city's own NOAA 1991–2020 normals station (named in its guide's footer), so neighboring cities can legitimately differ by a few days. The season overview linked from each row adds the live water-temperature model and the full-year season bar; the state hubs above carry the step-by-step checklists.