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 pre-emergent and other lawn timing decisions.
Estimated soil temperature
Estimated from NOAA air-temperature records with a lag model (about ±5°F at 2–4 inch depth) — see the methodology below.
Data details
Worth buying for this timing
Best fit for this result
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.
Needs watering in within 24 hours; stains concrete
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.
Seed only when the upper soil layer is warm enough for germination.
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 run them through a standard published lag model: soil in the 2–4 inch root zone tracks a smoothed multi-day average of air temperature, trailing it 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 (estimates are least reliable under persistent snowpack). For lawn timing decisions — pre-emergent, seeding, 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.
Pre-emergent timing thresholds
For crabgrass prevention, the goal is to apply before weed seeds break the soil surface. This tool uses the same GDD thresholds as the main pre-emergent tracker.