Soil temperature map
by ZIP code & state
Current estimated soil temperature for all 50 states and 33,000+ ZIP codes, recomputed daily from NOAA weather station records.
Estimated 2–4 inch soil temperature by state . Tap a state for its detailed page.
Check your exact ZIP
Enter your ZIP code for the estimated soil temperature near you, plus what it means for seasonal pre-emergent timing. Use the separate tools below for other lawn tasks.
Estimated soil temperature
Estimated from NOAA air-temperature records with a lag model (about ±5°F at 2–4 inch depth) — see the methodology.
Data details
Worth buying for this timing
Options for your pre-emergent timing
Some links are sponsored. We may earn a commission, but your ZIP result determines which product types we show.
Full-season preventive
Prodiamine
Prodiamine 65 WDG
Best fit: You are approaching or inside the pre-emergent window and want the longest barrier from one application.
This is the value play: one correctly timed barrier can protect the season instead of chasing weeds later.
Cannot kill already-germinated weeds
Late-window preventive
Dithiopyr
Dimension 2EW
Best fit: Your timing is tight and you want the common pre-emergent with limited early crabgrass activity.
Helps avoid buying a long-residual product after the window has narrowed.
Shorter residual than Prodiamine
Not a rescue treatment for mature or widespread visible crabgrass.
Granular easy application
Pendimethalin
Scotts Halts / Pendulum
Best fit: You want a spreader-ready option instead of mixing and spraying a liquid product.
Trades pro-style mixing for a simpler job you can finish while timing still matters.
Can stain concrete and other hard surfaces; sweep granules off them after spreading
Overseeding-compatible option
Mesotrione
Tenacity / Torocity
Best fit: You are overseeding a compatible cool-season lawn during the fall weed-prevention window.
Preserves the overseeding plan while providing a seeding-compatible alternative to standard pre-emergents.
Turf-species restrictions and application rates vary; follow the product label
Sun & Shade Seed Mix
Sun & Shade Seed Mix
Scotts Turf Builder Sun & Shade Mix / Jonathan Green Black Beauty
Best fit: Northern lawns with mixed sun and shade; general-purpose overseeding
Check the label, coverage area, and current price before you buy.
Mixed-species blends establish unevenly if the seedbed is not kept moist
Tall Fescue Seed + Starter Food
Tall Fescue Seed + Starter Food
Scotts Turf Builder Rapid Grass
Best fit: Transition-zone and southern cool-season lawns; heat and drought tolerance
Check the label, coverage area, and current price before you buy.
Coarser blade than bluegrass; will not spread to fill bare spots on its own
Timing check
Soil Thermometer
Urban Worm 5-in stem / Taylor 4-in stem
Best fit: You want to confirm this estimate in your own yard before you apply.
This tracker models soil temperature from NOAA air observations, so expect about ±5°F against a reading taken at 2 inches in your own soil.
Read the same spot at the same time of day; one warm afternoon is not a trend
Why people check soil temperature
Soil temperature matters because grass, weeds, insects, and fertilizer timing respond to ground conditions more than the afternoon air temperature. For lawns, the common spring question is whether the soil is warm enough for crabgrass to start germinating.
Apply before crabgrass reaches its germination window.
Seeding follows regional calendars; soil temperature adds context.
Use accumulated warmth to estimate when insect activity is moving.
Avoid relying on the calendar when spring warming is early or late.
Current estimated soil temperature by state
Statewide averages from each state's representative locations. Click any state for its detailed soil temperature page with ZIP-level readings.
| State | Est. soil temp | 7-day trend |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | — | — |
| Alaska | — | — |
| Arizona | — | — |
| Arkansas | — | — |
| California | — | — |
| Colorado | — | — |
| Connecticut | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — |
| Florida | — | — |
| Georgia | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — |
| Idaho | — | — |
| Illinois | — | — |
| Indiana | — | — |
| Iowa | — | — |
| Kansas | — | — |
| Kentucky | — | — |
| Louisiana | — | — |
| Maine | — | — |
| Maryland | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — |
| Michigan | — | — |
| Minnesota | — | — |
| Mississippi | — | — |
| Missouri | — | — |
| Montana | — | — |
| Nebraska | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — |
| New Jersey | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — |
| New York | — | — |
| North Carolina | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — |
| Ohio | — | — |
| Oklahoma | — | — |
| Oregon | — | — |
| Pennsylvania | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — |
| South Carolina | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — |
| Tennessee | — | — |
| Texas | — | — |
| Utah | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — |
| Virginia | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — |
| Wisconsin | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — |
How these soil temperatures are estimated
These are modeled estimates, not in-ground sensor readings. Each day we take high/low air temperatures from 33,000+ ZIP codes' nearest NOAA weather stations and relax the previous day's estimate toward each day's mean air temperature — a simplified form of the published soil-temperature model described by Zheng, Hunt & Running (1993), which instead uses an 11-day running average of air temperature and linear regression at 10 cm depth. Our exponentially weighted version (a ~4-day time constant, floored at 32°F for frozen ground) is not that regression, but it targets the same real-world lag: soil in the 2–4 inch root zone trails air temperature by roughly 3–5 days. That smoothing is what the map and ZIP lookup show.
Expect real readings to differ by around ±5°F depending on shade, moisture, slope, thatch, and snow cover. For its own method, the Zheng–Hunt–Running paper reports standard errors of roughly 1.5–2.9°C (about 3–5°F) and found that soil-temperature changes under snow cover were smaller than without it. Our estimates are likewise least reliable under persistent snowpack. For lawn timing decisions — pre-emergent, aeration — that accuracy is generally sufficient; for anything requiring a precise reading, use a soil thermometer. More detail on data sources and methods is on the About page.
Spring pre-emergent timing thresholds
January through June uses cumulative spring GDD. From July 1, the ZIP result follows the main tracker’s fall soil-temperature and cooling-trend guidance.
For crabgrass prevention, the goal is to apply before weed seeds break the soil surface. Purdue Turfgrass Science research puts crabgrass germination at roughly 200 GDD (base 50°F) — this tool uses the same GDD thresholds as the main pre-emergent tracker, staged so you have time to buy product and apply before that point. For the raw accumulated total with your own base temperature or start date, try our growing degree days calculator.
- 0-100 GDD Too early. Soil warming is still limited.
- 100-150 GDD Getting close. Buy product and watch the next warm spell.
- 150-200 GDD Apply now. This is the useful pre-emergent window.
- 200+ GDD Window closing. Standard pre-emergent may be late.