Pool season · Virginia
Chesapeake Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 15, 2026 · dates · water temp
Chesapeake'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.
Each dot on the bar is one week of Chesapeake's typical year, colored by what the model says that week is for: gray weeks are off-season, hollow teal marks the opening window (March 24–April 14), solid teal is swim season, and hollow amber is the closing window ending November 5. The black marker is today — its position against the colors is the entire executive summary.
The Chesapeake pool calendar
Opening — target March 31
Open by March 31 — a two-week head start on the April 14 crossing keeps startup chemistry small and beats the local service rush.
Closing — deadline November 5
The window opens October 26 once water leaves the algae zone; the model deadline is November 5, a week ahead of the November 18 freeze normal.
Estimated water temperature by month
This is Chesapeake'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45° | 45° | 49° | 57° | 67° | 75° | 82° | 81° | 78° | 70° | 59° | 50° |
Warmest water typically July–September (peaking near 83°F); heaters and covers shift any month up.
Email me when Chesapeake hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Fentress Naas (9.3 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.