Pool season · Tennessee
Bristol Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Bristol'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.
Bristol, TN — 113 swim days a yearReading it takes ten seconds: 52 dots, one per week. Solid teal is Bristol's swim season; the hollow teal run before it (April 11 to May 2) is when to open; the hollow amber run after is when to close, with October 16 as the deadline; gray is the covered season. Today's marker shows where you stand in that cycle right now.
The Bristol pool calendar
Opening — target April 18
Target April 18; the practical window runs April 11–May 2, and the 7-day mean crosses the 61°F threshold around May 2. Cold-water starts are the cheap ones.
Closing — deadline October 16
Hold the cover until October 6, then winterize by October 16, a week ahead of the October 24 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
This is Bristol'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37° | 38° | 44° | 52° | 61° | 69° | 75° | 75° | 72° | 63° | 51° | 42° |
The curve peaks near 76°F — comfortable-water months here usually involve a heater or a solar cover.
Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Spring Hill's pool season and Chattanooga's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Tennessee season index.
Bristol pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Bristol, TN?
The site model recommends opening by April 18 — about two weeks before Bristol'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 Bristol opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Bristol?
Winterize by October 16. The model holds the deadline a week ahead of Bristol's NOAA 50% first-freeze date, so the plumbing is protected before the first hard night. The full sequence is in the Bristol closing guide.
How long is the swim season in Bristol?
Bristol averages 113 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — about 9 days later than the Tennessee median. The Tennessee season index ranks all 14 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Bristol?
An unheated pool near Bristol typically peaks around 76°F in high summer and bottoms out near 36°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 Bristol hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Bristol Tri City Airport (12.0 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.