Pool season · Rhode Island
Cranston Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
Cranston's whole pool calendar, condensed: when the water warms, when it cools, and where today falls between those edges. Use the opening guide and closing guide for the step-by-step work; keep this page for the dates.
Cranston, RI — 69 swim days a yearThe bar compresses Cranston's whole pool year into one lane rope: gray floats for the off-season, hollow teal for the May 3–May 24 opening window, solid teal for swim weeks, hollow amber for the closing stretch that ends October 8. Wherever the today marker sits, the nearest color change is your next appointment.
The Cranston pool calendar
Opening — target May 10
Target May 10; the practical window runs May 3–May 24, and the 7-day mean crosses the 61°F threshold around May 24. Cold-water starts are the cheap ones.
Closing — deadline October 8
The window opens September 28 once water leaves the algae zone; the model deadline is October 8, a week ahead of the October 30 freeze normal.
Estimated water temperature by month
This is Cranston'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° | 36° | 45° | 55° | 64° | 72° | 74° | 70° | 60° | 49° | 40° |
The curve peaks near 75°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.
Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Warwick's pool season and Pawtucket's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Rhode Island season index.
Cranston pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Cranston, RI?
Target May 10. That date backs off two weeks from the day Cranston's 7-day mean temperature reaches 61°F, so you start up in cold, algae-resistant water. Work the full checklist in the Cranston opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Cranston?
The closing deadline is October 8 — late enough that the water has cooled out of the algae zone, early enough to beat Cranston's first-freeze normal by about a week. See the Cranston closing guide for the winterizing steps.
How long is the swim season in Cranston?
Cranston averages 69 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — right on the statewide median. The Rhode Island season index ranks all 4 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Cranston?
An unheated pool near Cranston typically peaks around 75°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 Cranston hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Providence T F Green Airport (4.1 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.