Pool swim season in Morgantown, WV
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Morgantown, WV?
An unheated pool in Morgantown never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 76°F in Aug. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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Heater options for a Morgantown pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $192 | $742 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $340 | $765 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WV prices of 15.6¢/kWh electricity and $14/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Morgantown
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $71 for each month it adds.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 2 months here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). If you get quotes, ask for a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Morgantown Municipal Airport, 1.6 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Morgantown 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 | 40° | 32° | 1.7 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Feb | 44° | 35° | 2.5 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
| Mar | 53° | 43° | 3.5 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| Apr | 65° | 54° | 4.6 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| May | 74° | 63° | 5.3 | 61° | 67° | $126 | $217 |
| Jun | 81° | 70° | 5.9 | 69° | 75° | $39 | $75 |
| Jul | 84° | 74° | 5.8 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Aug | 83° | 73° | 5.2 | 76° | 82° | – | – |
| Sep | 77° | 67° | 4.3 | 71° | 77° | $27 | $48 |
| Oct | 66° | 55° | 3.0 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 45° | 2.1 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| Dec | 44° | 36° | 1.5 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $126 with a heat pump, $217 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 5.9 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 41.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Morgantown compares with nearby cities
Morgantown ranks 9 of 13 West Virginia cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont, WV | 15 mi | 0 | 5 | $192 |
| Clarksburg, WV | 34 mi | 0 | 5 | $203 |
| Washington, PA | 40 mi | 0 | 5 | $338 |
| Jefferson Hills, PA | 46 mi | 0 | 5 | $299 |
| Bethel Park, PA | 48 mi | 0 | 5 | $297 |
| McKeesport, PA | 49 mi | 0 | 5 | $338 |