Virginia · 20 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Virginia

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMar 15Median of 20 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Apr 13. Earliest: Norfolk Mar 5; latest: Harrisonburg Apr 13.
Today
Season over
20 of 20 cities
Window last spring
29 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
56°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayVirginia BeachVirginia Beach: Mar 6 to Mar 31NorfolkNorfolk: Mar 5 to Mar 7RichmondRichmond: Mar 5 to Mar 7RoanokeRoanoke: Mar 7 to Apr 13SuffolkSuffolk: Mar 5 to Mar 7LynchburgLynchburg: Mar 7 to Apr 13CentrevilleCentreville: Mar 30 to Apr 14HarrisonburgHarrisonburg: Apr 13 to May 18LeesburgLeesburg: Mar 31 to May 6CharlottesvilleCharlottesville: Mar 7 to Apr 13BlacksburgBlacksburg: Apr 13 to May 18DanvilleDanville: Mar 5 to Mar 7
FebMarAprMayVirginia Be…Virginia Beach: Mar 6 to Mar 31NorfolkNorfolk: Mar 5 to Mar 7RichmondRichmond: Mar 5 to Mar 7RoanokeRoanoke: Mar 7 to Apr 13SuffolkSuffolk: Mar 5 to Mar 7LynchburgLynchburg: Mar 7 to Apr 13CentrevilleCentreville: Mar 30 to Apr 14HarrisonburgHarrisonburg: Apr 13 to May 18LeesburgLeesburg: Mar 31 to May 6Charlottesv…Charlottesville: Mar 7 to Apr 13BlacksburgBlacksburg: Apr 13 to May 18DanvilleDanville: Mar 5 to Mar 7
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Virginia city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Virginia Beach, VAMar 6Mar 3160°FSeason over
Norfolk, VAMar 5Mar 763°FSeason over
Richmond, VAMar 5Mar 762°FSeason over
Roanoke, VAMar 7Apr 1355°FSeason over
Suffolk, VAMar 5Mar 759°FSeason over
Lynchburg, VAMar 7Apr 1356°FSeason over
Centreville, VAMar 30Apr 1456°FSeason over
Harrisonburg, VAApr 13May 1853°FSeason over
Leesburg, VAMar 31May 656°FSeason over
Charlottesville, VAMar 7Apr 1356°FSeason over
Blacksburg, VAApr 13May 1851°FSeason over
Danville, VAMar 5Mar 759°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 Virginia?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Mar 15 to Apr 13 across 20 Virginia 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 Virginia →

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