New York · 29 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in New York

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMay 18Median of 29 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Jun 5. Earliest: New York Mar 29; latest: Cortland May 27.
Today
Season over
29 of 29 cities
Window last spring
18 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
48°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest New York cities

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

FebMarAprMayNew YorkNew York: Mar 29 to Apr 24BuffaloBuffalo: May 17 to May 18RochesterRochester: May 17 to May 27YonkersYonkers: Mar 30 to Apr 30SyracuseSyracuse: May 18 to Jun 5AlbanyAlbany: Apr 27 to May 18UticaUtica: May 18 to Jun 6BrentwoodBrentwood: Apr 13 to May 5HempsteadHempstead: Apr 11 to Apr 27Niagara FallsNiagara Falls: May 17 to May 18BinghamtonBinghamton: May 18 to Jun 5New CityNew City: May 6 to May 17
FebMarAprMayNew YorkNew York: Mar 29 to Apr 24BuffaloBuffalo: May 17 to May 18RochesterRochester: May 17 to May 27YonkersYonkers: Mar 30 to Apr 30SyracuseSyracuse: May 18 to Jun 5AlbanyAlbany: Apr 27 to May 18UticaUtica: May 18 to Jun 6BrentwoodBrentwood: Apr 13 to May 5HempsteadHempstead: Apr 11 to Apr 27Niagara Fal…Niagara Falls: May 17 to May 18BinghamtonBinghamton: May 18 to Jun 5New CityNew City: May 6 to May 17
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every New York city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
New York, NYMar 29Apr 2458°FSeason over
Buffalo, NYMay 17May 1850°FSeason over
Rochester, NYMay 17May 2749°FSeason over
Yonkers, NYMar 30Apr 3056°FSeason over
Syracuse, NYMay 18Jun 547°FSeason over
Albany, NYApr 27May 1851°FSeason over
Utica, NYMay 18Jun 645°FSeason over
Brentwood, NYApr 13May 558°FSeason over
Hempstead, NYApr 11Apr 2758°FSeason over
Niagara Falls, NYMay 17May 1850°FSeason over
Binghamton, NYMay 18Jun 545°FSeason over
New City, NYMay 6May 1750°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 New York?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around May 18 to Jun 5 across 29 New York 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 New York →

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