Pool season · Texas
Houston Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Houston'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.
Houston, TX — 186 swim days a yearThe bar compresses Houston's whole pool year into one lane rope: gray floats for the off-season, hollow teal for the February 11–March 4 opening window, solid teal for swim weeks, hollow amber for the closing stretch that ends November 30. Wherever the today marker sits, the nearest color change is your next appointment.
The Houston pool calendar
Opening — target February 18
Open by February 18 — a two-week head start on the March 4 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.
Closing — deadline November 30
The window opens November 20 once water leaves the algae zone; the model deadline is November 30, a week ahead of the December 25 freeze normal.
Estimated water temperature by month
Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Houston'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54° | 55° | 61° | 67° | 74° | 81° | 84° | 86° | 84° | 77° | 67° | 59° |
Warmest water typically June–September (peaking near 86°F); heaters and covers shift any month up.
Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Harlingen's pool season and Irving's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Texas season index.
Houston pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Houston, TX?
Target February 18. That date backs off two weeks from the day Houston's 7-day mean temperature reaches 61°F, so you start up in cold, algae-resistant water. Work the full checklist in the Houston opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Houston?
The closing deadline is November 30 — late enough that the water has cooled out of the algae zone, early enough to beat Houston's first-freeze normal by about a week. See the Houston closing guide for the winterizing steps.
How long is the swim season in Houston?
Houston averages 186 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — about 18 days earlier than the Texas median. The Texas season index ranks all 68 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Houston?
An unheated pool near Houston typically peaks around 86°F in high summer and bottoms out near 53°F in winter, spending roughly 4 months at or above the 78°F comfort line most swimmers prefer. The month-by-month curve above shows the whole cycle; the methodology page explains the ±5°F error bars.
Email me when Houston hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Houston-port (7.1 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.