Pool swim season in Yankton, SD
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Yankton, SD?
An unheated pool in Yankton never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 77°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 Yankton 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 | $228 | $778 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $298 | $723 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at SD prices of 14.6¢/kWh electricity and $10/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Yankton
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 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: Yankton 2 E, 1.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Yankton 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 | 30° | 20° | 2.0 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Feb | 35° | 25° | 3.0 | 22° | 28° | – | – |
| Mar | 47° | 36° | 3.9 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Apr | 60° | 48° | 5.0 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 60° | 5.8 | 57° | 63° | $158 | $199 |
| Jun | 82° | 71° | 6.6 | 69° | 75° | $40 | $59 |
| Jul | 87° | 75° | 6.7 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Aug | 85° | 73° | 5.7 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Sep | 78° | 65° | 4.5 | 71° | 77° | $30 | $40 |
| Oct | 63° | 51° | 3.2 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Nov | 47° | 36° | 2.2 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Dec | 34° | 25° | 1.7 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $158 with a heat pump, $199 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.7 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 44.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Yankton compares with nearby cities
Yankton ranks 2 of 14 South Dakota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion, SD | 25 mi | 0 | 5 | $222 |
| Harrisburg, SD | 51 mi | 0 | 4 | $119 |
| Sioux Falls, SD | 56 mi | 0 | 4 | $93 |
| Sioux City, IA | 58 mi | 0 | 5 | $245 |
| South Sioux City, NE | 58 mi | 0 | 5 | $218 |
| Norfolk, NE | 60 mi | 0 | 5 | $225 |