Pool season · Washington
Yakima Pool Season: the Year on One Bar
Last updated: July 25, 2026 · dates · water temp
One bar, one year, one Yakima pool. The season bar below draws everything the model knows — opening window, prime season, closing window — against today's date, with the working details one click away on the opening and closing pages.
Yakima, WA — 90 swim days a yearThe bar compresses Yakima's whole pool year into one lane rope: gray floats for the off-season, hollow teal for the April 26–May 17 opening window, solid teal for swim weeks, hollow amber for the closing stretch that ends October 6. Wherever the today marker sits, the nearest color change is your next appointment.
The Yakima pool calendar
Opening — target May 3
Target May 3; the practical window runs April 26–May 17, and the 7-day mean crosses the 61°F threshold around May 17. Cold-water starts are the cheap ones.
Closing — deadline October 6
Hold the cover until September 26, then winterize by October 6, a week ahead of the October 23 freeze normal. Late and cold beats early and warm.
Estimated water temperature by month
This is Yakima'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° | 36° | 43° | 49° | 57° | 64° | 71° | 75° | 70° | 59° | 46° | 35° |
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 Wenatchee's pool season and Auburn's — neighboring normals stations can shift the windows by a week or more. The full ranking lives on the Washington season index.
Yakima pool season FAQ
When should I open my pool in Yakima, WA?
Open by May 3 — the model places Yakima's 61°F crossing about two weeks later, and every warm day you wait pushes the water toward the 65°F algae zone. The Yakima opening guide has the 12-step sequence.
When should I close my pool in Yakima?
Close by October 6: cool water keeps its winter chemistry, but freeze damage is the hard stop. The Yakima closing guide sequences the work backward from that date.
How long is the swim season in Yakima?
Yakima averages 90 days a year with normal highs of 80°F or better — about 21 days earlier than the Washington median. The Washington season index ranks all 21 covered cities by the same metric.
How warm does pool water get in Yakima?
An unheated pool near Yakima typically peaks around 75°F in high summer and bottoms out near 31°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 Yakima hits the closing window
Data: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals via Yakima #2 (1.0 mi); live outlook by Open-Meteo. Attribution: sources · assumptions: methodology.