Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin city
Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.
| City | Held 50°F (2026) | Held 55°F (2026) | Soil today | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | May 12 | May 26 | 50°F | Season over |
| Madison, WI | May 15 | May 26 | 48°F | Season over |
| Green Bay, WI | May 17 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Kenosha, WI | May 12 | May 25 | 50°F | Season over |
| Appleton, WI | May 15 | May 25 | 49°F | Season over |
| Waukesha, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Eau Claire, WI | May 15 | May 26 | 48°F | Season over |
| Oshkosh, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Janesville, WI | May 13 | May 25 | 48°F | Season over |
| La Crosse, WI | May 15 | May 26 | 49°F | Season over |
| Sheboygan, WI | May 17 | Jun 4 | 48°F | Season over |
| Fond du Lac, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Wausau, WI | May 17 | May 27 | 45°F | Season over |
| Manitowoc, WI | May 17 | Jun 4 | 47°F | Season over |
| West Bend, WI | May 17 | May 27 | 47°F | Season over |
| Stevens Point, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Caledonia, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 48°F | Season over |
| Watertown, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Marshfield, WI | May 17 | May 27 | 45°F | Season over |
| Beaver Dam, WI | May 16 | May 26 | 47°F | Season over |
| Menomonie, WI | May 15 | May 26 | 46°F | Season over |
| River Falls, WI | May 15 | May 26 | 47°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 Wisconsin?
- When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around May 16 to May 26 across 22 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin →
Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).