Alabama · 20 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Alabama

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundFeb 12Median of 20 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 2. Earliest: Foley Feb 7; latest: Huntsville Mar 1.
Today
Season over
20 of 20 cities
Window last spring
18 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
60°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest Alabama cities

Each bar runs from the day the soil held 50°F to the day it held 55°F (2026).

FebMarAprMayHuntsvilleHuntsville: Mar 1 to Mar 2BirminghamBirmingham: Feb 11 to Mar 1MontgomeryMontgomery: Feb 11 to Feb 13MobileMobile: Feb 8 to Feb 11TuscaloosaTuscaloosa: Feb 11 to Feb 13DothanDothan: Feb 10 to Feb 12AuburnAuburn: Feb 11 to Mar 1DecaturDecatur: Mar 1 to Mar 2FlorenceFlorence: Mar 1 to Mar 2GadsdenGadsden: Mar 1 to Mar 2AlabasterAlabaster: Feb 12 to Mar 2EnterpriseEnterprise: Feb 10 to Feb 11
FebMarAprMayHuntsvilleHuntsville: Mar 1 to Mar 2BirminghamBirmingham: Feb 11 to Mar 1MontgomeryMontgomery: Feb 11 to Feb 13MobileMobile: Feb 8 to Feb 11TuscaloosaTuscaloosa: Feb 11 to Feb 13DothanDothan: Feb 10 to Feb 12AuburnAuburn: Feb 11 to Mar 1DecaturDecatur: Mar 1 to Mar 2FlorenceFlorence: Mar 1 to Mar 2GadsdenGadsden: Mar 1 to Mar 2AlabasterAlabaster: Feb 12 to Mar 2EnterpriseEnterprise: Feb 10 to Feb 11
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Alabama city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Huntsville, ALMar 1Mar 257°FSeason over
Birmingham, ALFeb 11Mar 164°FSeason over
Montgomery, ALFeb 11Feb 1362°FSeason over
Mobile, ALFeb 8Feb 1166°FSeason over
Tuscaloosa, ALFeb 11Feb 1364°FSeason over
Dothan, ALFeb 10Feb 1263°FSeason over
Auburn, ALFeb 11Mar 162°FSeason over
Decatur, ALMar 1Mar 257°FSeason over
Florence, ALMar 1Mar 256°FSeason over
Gadsden, ALMar 1Mar 258°FSeason over
Alabaster, ALFeb 12Mar 260°FSeason over
Enterprise, ALFeb 10Feb 1163°FSeason over

Crabgrass seeds start to germinate once the top 2 to 4 inches of soil stay near 55°F for several days. A pre-emergent works as a barrier in the soil, so it has to be down and watered in before that: the usual advice is to apply it while the soil holds 50 to 55°F. The dates here are when the modelled soil began to hold each temperature last spring; this year's window will move with the weather, which is why each city page shows today's reading and the 7-day forecast.

Questions

When should I put down crabgrass preventer in Alabama?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Feb 12 to Mar 2 across 20 Alabama cities, earlier in the south and in cities.
Is it too late to apply pre-emergent?
Once the soil has held 55°F for a week or more, crabgrass is germinating and a pre-emergent will not stop the seedlings already up. Each city page says which side of that line it is on today.

Soil temperature today in Alabama →

Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).