West Virginia · 8 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in West Virginia

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundApr 12Median of 8 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around May 18. Earliest: Charleston Mar 30; latest: Wheeling Apr 13.
Today
Season over
8 of 8 cities
Window last spring
36 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
51°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayCharlestonCharleston: Mar 30 to Apr 12ParkersburgParkersburg: Apr 11 to Apr 13MorgantownMorgantown: Apr 12 to May 18WheelingWheeling: Apr 13 to May 18Weirton HeightsWeirton Heights: Apr 13 to May 18MartinsburgMartinsburg: Apr 13 to May 17BeckleyBeckley: Apr 12 to May 19ClarksburgClarksburg: Apr 12 to May 19
FebMarAprMayCharlestonCharleston: Mar 30 to Apr 12ParkersburgParkersburg: Apr 11 to Apr 13MorgantownMorgantown: Apr 12 to May 18WheelingWheeling: Apr 13 to May 18Weirton Hei…Weirton Heights: Apr 13 to May 18MartinsburgMartinsburg: Apr 13 to May 17BeckleyBeckley: Apr 12 to May 19ClarksburgClarksburg: Apr 12 to May 19
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every West Virginia city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Charleston, WVMar 30Apr 1254°FSeason over
Parkersburg, WVApr 11Apr 1352°FSeason over
Morgantown, WVApr 12May 1851°FSeason over
Wheeling, WVApr 13May 1850°FSeason over
Weirton Heights, WVApr 13May 1849°FSeason over
Martinsburg, WVApr 13May 1752°FSeason over
Beckley, WVApr 12May 1950°FSeason over
Clarksburg, WVApr 12May 1951°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 West Virginia?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Apr 12 to May 18 across 8 West 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 West 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).