Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest Montana cities
Each bar runs from the day the soil held 50°F to the day it held 55°F (2026).
- 50°F to 55°F
Every Montana city
Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.
| City | Held 50°F (2026) | Held 55°F (2026) | Soil today | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT | Mar 21 | May 24 | 50°F | Season over |
| Missoula, MT | May 4 | Jun 16 | 45°F | Season over |
| Great Falls, MT | May 2 | Jun 16 | 50°F | Season over |
| Bozeman, MT | May 25 | Jun 19 | 44°F | Season over |
| Butte, MT | Jun 15 | Jun 19 | 40°F | Season over |
| Helena, MT | May 24 | Jun 16 | 47°F | Season over |
| Kalispell, MT | May 4 | Jun 18 | 45°F | Season 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 Montana?
- When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around May 4 to Jun 16 across 7 Montana 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 Montana →
Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).