Pool swim season in Arcata, CA
Swim season in Arcata without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Arcata never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 61°F in Aug. The air allows up to 0 swimmable months with a heater (no month).
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What each heater buys you in Arcata
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 0 | no month | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 0 | no month | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 0 | no month | $0 | $550 |
| Gas heater + cover | 0 | no month | $0 | $425 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CA prices of 32.6¢/kWh electricity and $22/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
Do you need a pool heater in Arcata?
No. Your pool is already warm for every month the air allows. A heater adds nothing.
No heater makes outdoor swimming practical here: the air is too cold in every month. If you want to swim at home, price an enclosure or an indoor pool instead, and see why a cover cannot fix this and where solar panels stop working.
Weather station: Eureka NWS Office Woodley Is, 5.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Arcata month by month: air, sun and pool water
| Month | Air high | Air avg | Sun kWh/m²/day | Water, unheated | Water, covered | Heat pump $ | Gas $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55° | 48° | 1.9 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Feb | 55° | 48° | 2.7 | 48° | 54° | – | – |
| Mar | 56° | 49° | 3.9 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Apr | 57° | 51° | 5.2 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| May | 60° | 54° | 6.2 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Jun | 62° | 56° | 7.0 | 59° | 65° | – | – |
| Jul | 63° | 58° | 6.5 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Aug | 64° | 59° | 5.6 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Sep | 64° | 57° | 4.7 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Oct | 62° | 54° | 3.4 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 58° | 51° | 2.2 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Dec | 55° | 47° | 1.6 | 48° | 54° | – | – |
Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 53.9 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Arcata compares with nearby cities
Arcata ranks 376 of 376 California cities for unheated swim months; Shasta Lake, Redding, Anderson nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka, CA | 6 mi | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Fortuna, CA | 19 mi | 0 | 3 | $560 |
| Shasta Lake, CA | 90 mi | 3 | 6 | $159 |
| Redding, CA | 92 mi | 3 | 7 | $458 |
| Anderson, CA | 98 mi | 3 | 7 | $458 |
| Red Bluff, CA | 107 mi | 3 | 7 | $448 |