The Tracy Aquatic Center was the place to be last weekend — one of the few venues around that had what it took to make people forget about how hot it really was
It’s not the heat, it’s the … Ah, who are we kidding? It was the heat last weekend, when the National Weather Service issued an Extreme Heat Warning that started at noon Friday and extended through the entire day Sunday — the final two days of four straight that saw the mercury hit or surpass 90 degrees, with heat index values at times reaching 105.
And it wasn’t just the mid-day sun that put us in the cooker. Wake-up temperatures Saturday and Sunday were in the 80s, as air conditioners all over were working overtime.
Before this past weekend, Tracy had just two 90-degree days in 2025. Needless to say, all that changed late last week. We even flirted with triple-digits Saturday.
Sunday was the last day of the heat wave, as temperatures cooled back into the 70s to start this week. It looks as though it will warm up again this coming weekend, but even the projected 85-degree weather won’t feel quite as sultry as it did last Thursday through Sunday.
While many people rightfully chose to stay close to their air conditioners for much of the weekend, the ones who did venture out — mainly kids — flocked to the Tracy Aquatic Center, which nearly reached capacity (280) on Friday and Saturday.
“It’s been really great,” said pool manager Jessica Lamb. “Someone posted on Facebook Messenger who normally goes to a different pool that ‘Tracy has the best pool and their lifeguards are friendly and not lazy like at other pools. It’s nice that the lifeguards are willing to help the kids who are a little bit scared.’ Our guards, despite the heat, are amazing.”
Lamb said the lifeguards were up to the task all weekend, with only one who had to leave her shift early because of the heat.
“We had one guard who couldn’t do it (Saturday), so we told her to go home and an extra guard stepped in — we don’t want them to get sick,” she said. “She had been working swimming lessons all week and worked on Friday. We let them go in the water, we have hydration packets to make sure they’re OK.”
Lamb knows how fortunate Tracy is to have not just a pool, but a genuine attraction for kids and families from all over.
“We are so lucky, because there are so many towns that don’t invest in their pool,” she said. “We’ve had updates with painting — all the pool features were painted last year — the drop slide is brand-new, and we have a new liner. The City is always willing to keep this running.”
