SwimSeasonCheck

Pool swim season in North St. Paul, MN

When can you swim in an outdoor pool in North St. Paul, MN?

An unheated pool in North St. Paul never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 74°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Heater options for a North St. Paul pool, side by side

OptionMonthsSwimmableEnergy/yrAll-in/yr
No heater0no month$0$0
Solar cover only2Jul to Aug$0$50
Solar panels + cover4Jun to Sep$0$283
Heat pump + cover4Jun to Sep$144$694
Gas heater + cover4Jun to Sep$194$619

For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MN prices of 16.4¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.

The cheapest way to the full season in North St. Paul

Solar panels + cover: 4 of 4 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 gas as well as a heat pump: once the purchase price is counted, gas comes out cheaper all-in here (heat pump or gas).

Weather station: St Paul, 4.9 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.

North St. Paul month by month: air, sun and pool water

MonthAir highAir avgSun kWh/m²/dayWater, unheatedWater, coveredHeat pump $Gas $
Jan23°15°1.817°23°––
Feb28°20°2.917°23°––
Mar41°32°3.927°33°––
Apr56°46°4.741°47°––
May69°58°5.454°60°––
Jun78°68°6.066°72°$71$99
Jul82°73°6.374°80°$4$5
Aug80°70°5.274°80°$3$4
Sep72°62°4.067°73°$66$86
Oct57°48°2.655°61°––
Nov41°34°1.640°46°––
Dec28°21°1.226°32°––

Heating costs most in Jun (about $71 with a heat pump, $99 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 66.7 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.

How North St. Paul compares with nearby cities

North St. Paul ranks 48 of 103 Minnesota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.

CityDistanceUnheated monthsHeat pump monthsHeat pump $/yr
Maplewood, MN1 mi04$109
Oakdale, MN3 mi04$141
White Bear Lake, MN4 mi04$109
Little Canada, MN4 mi04$109
Vadnais Heights, MN4 mi04$109
Lake Elmo, MN5 mi04$196