Pool opening · State guide
When to Open Your Pool in Louisiana
Last updated: July 15, 2026 · 13 cities covered
Louisiana's opening calendar spans about 27 days. The earliest model date belongs to New Orleans (February 15), the latest to Monroe (March 14), and the statewide median lands on March 3.
Every date is the same model — two weeks ahead of the day the local 7-day mean temperature crosses 61°F — applied to each city's own NOAA normals station. Click through for the live water estimate, the full window, and the 12-step checklist.
| City | Open by | Window opens | 61°F crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | Mar 10 | Mar 3 | Mar 24 |
| Baton Rouge | Mar 5 | Feb 26 | Mar 19 |
| Hammond | Mar 7 | Feb 28 | Mar 21 |
| Houma | Feb 17 | Feb 10 | Mar 3 |
| Kenner | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Mar 2 |
| Lafayette | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Mar 14 |
| Lake Charles | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Mar 6 |
| Mandeville | Mar 4 | Feb 25 | Mar 18 |
| Metairie | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Mar 2 |
| Monroe | Mar 14 | Mar 7 | Mar 28 |
| New Orleans | Feb 15 | Feb 8 | Mar 1 |
| Shreveport | Mar 10 | Mar 3 | Mar 24 |
| Slidell | Mar 3 | Feb 24 | Mar 17 |
Dates are typical-year model outputs, not forecasts — each city guide carries the live widget that tracks the current year against them.
How to use these dates
Each "open by" date is two weeks ahead of that city's own 61°F crossing — the day its 7-day mean temperature (highs and lows averaged, from the nearest NOAA 1991–2020 normals station) reaches the level where unheated pool water starts climbing toward the 65°F algae-growth zone. Opening inside the window means starting up in cold, algae-resistant water: a single label-dosed shock instead of a green-water recovery, and a shopping trip while Louisiana stores are still fully stocked.
Dates are typical-year guidance, not forecasts. A warm or late spring shifts the real-world moment by a week or two in either direction — every city guide carries a live water-temperature widget that tracks the current year against these normals, plus the full 12-step opening checklist sequenced to its local window. New to the process? Start with the generic how-to-open guide and the chemicals shopping list, then come back for your city's dates.