Pool season · Virginia
Suffolk Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
This is the one-page view of Suffolk'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.
Suffolk, VA — 104 swim days a yearEach dot on the bar is one week of Suffolk's typical year, colored by what the model says that week is for: gray weeks are off-season, hollow teal marks the opening window (April 3–April 24), solid teal is swim season, and hollow amber is the closing window ending October 26. The black marker is today — its position against the colors is the entire executive summary.
The Suffolk pool calendar
Opening — target April 10
Target April 10; the practical window runs April 3–April 24, and the 7-day mean crosses the 61°F threshold around April 24. Cold-water starts are the cheap ones.
Closing — deadline October 26
Hold the cover until October 16, then winterize by October 26, a week ahead of the November 15 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
Monthly averages of the site's water model run on Suffolk'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41° | 41° | 46° | 54° | 63° | 71° | 77° | 78° | 74° | 66° | 55° | 47° |
Warmest water typically August–August (peaking near 78°F); heaters and covers shift any month up.
Every station tells its own story: compare this curve with Roanoke's pool season and Virginia Beach's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Virginia season index.
Suffolk pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Suffolk, VA?
Target April 10. That date backs off two weeks from the day Suffolk's 7-day mean temperature reaches 61°F, so you start up in cold, algae-resistant water. Work the full checklist in the Suffolk opening guide.
When should I close my pool in Suffolk?
The closing deadline is October 26 — late enough that the water has cooled out of the algae zone, early enough to beat Suffolk's first-freeze normal by about a week. See the Suffolk closing guide for the winterizing steps.
How long is the swim season in Suffolk?
Suffolk averages 104 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — right on the statewide median. The Virginia season index ranks all 16 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Suffolk?
An unheated pool near Suffolk typically peaks around 78°F in high summer and bottoms out near 40°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 Suffolk hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Suffolk Lake Kilby (3.2 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.