West Covina, California · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature today in West Covina

78°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep
low 72°F · high 86°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 9.5 km from West Covina

On a week ago
6° warmer
72°F on Nov 4
Next 7 days
68–76°F
range of the daily averages forecast
Crabgrass pre-emergent
Season over
next window: when the soil holds 50°F
Held 55°F last spring
All winter
never dropped below 55°F

What the soil says today

  • Pre-emergentSeason over
  • Cool-season seedToo late in the season
  • Warm-season seedWarm enough
  • TomatoesSoil warm enough
  • Peas and lettuceWarm enough

From the 5-day mean of the modelled 0–4 in layer.

Soil temperature, 0–4 in: last 7 days and next 7

°F. Dots and line: daily average (dashed = forecast); bars: the day's low to high; green band: the 50–55°F pre-emergent window.

40°50°60°70°80°90°100°50–55°F windowNov 456789101112131415161772°68°
40°50°60°70°80°90°100°50–55°F windowNov 4Nov 6Nov 8Nov 10Nov 12Nov 14Nov 1672°68°
  • Daily average
  • Low to high
  • 50–55°F window
View as table
DayAverageLowHigh
Nov 471.8°F66.0°F80.6°Fanalysis
Nov 573.3°F67.4°F81.6°Fanalysis
Nov 674.4°F68.1°F83.4°Fanalysis
Nov 775.6°F69.2°F84.9°Fanalysis
Nov 877.0°F70.2°F86.9°Fanalysis
Nov 977.9°F71.3°F87.2°Fanalysis
Nov 1077.9°F71.7°F86.6°Fanalysis
Today77.6°F71.7°F85.7°Fforecast
Nov 1276.4°F71.2°F83.3°Fforecast
Nov 1374.4°F70.6°F79.3°Fforecast
Nov 1470.5°F67.9°F72.4°Fforecast
Nov 1571.4°F66.3°F79.1°Fforecast
Nov 1671.5°F67.4°F76.2°Fforecast
Nov 1768.3°F67.0°F69.6°Fforecast
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS 0.25°, 0–10 cm soil temperature, grid cell at 34.00°N 118.00°W. Run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern).

What the soil says for each job

Today's verdicts use the 5-day mean of the modelled 0–4 in layer.

JobSoil ruleToday
Crabgrass pre-emergentApply while the soil holds 50 to 55°F, before crabgrass germinates at about 55°FSeason over
Soil here stayed above 50°F all last winter, so the 50 to 55°F soil rule gives no spring window. Time pre-emergent to your local calendar.
Seed or overseed cool-season grassFescue, bluegrass and ryegrass germinate best in soil of 50 to 65°FToo late in the season
Past the usual Aug 15 to Oct 15 seeding window (77°F soil today).
Seed warm-season grassBermuda, zoysia and centipede need soil of 65°F or moreWarm enough
77°F: at or over 65°F.
Plant out tomatoesTomato roots want soil of 60°F or more (check your frost date as well)Soil warm enough
77°F: at or over 60°F. Plant only after your last frost.
Sow peas, lettuce and spinachCool-weather crops germinate once soil reaches about 40°FWarm enough
77°F: at or over 40°F.

The 2026 season so far

°F, daily average of the 0–4 in layer since 1 January (dashed = forecast). Dots: the days the soil began to hold 50°F and 55°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°90°100°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
30°40°50°60°70°80°90°100°JMMJSN
  • Daily average
  • 50–55°F window
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 4 a day. Dates use the 5-day mean, held for 10 days or more.

When the soil crossed each threshold

2026, from the 5-day mean held for 10 days or more.

SoilWhat it meansHeld from (spring 2026)Fell below (autumn 2026)
40°FPeas and lettuce can be sownnever belownot yet
50°FPre-emergent window opensnever belownot yet
55°FCrabgrass can germinatenever belownot yet
60°FWarm enough for tomatoesJan 12not yet
65°FWarm-season grass seedJan 30not yet

Growing degree days in West Covina

Base 50°F, from 1 January to Nov 8, at the Chino Airport station (30.7 km).

GDD in 2026
6,241
to Nov 8
Same date in 2025
5,405
836 more this year
All of 2025
5,948
full-year total

A growing degree day is each degree that the day's average temperature runs above 50°F. Insects, weeds and crops develop by accumulated GDD, so the number says how far the season has run. Every city.

0 chill hours so far this winter (since 1 November); last winter brought 340. See the chill-hours page for fruit trees →

Soil temperature nearby

Each from a different model grid cell.

CityDistanceSoil todayvs a week agoGrass seed
Anaheim, CA26 km78°F+5°FToo late in the season
Ontario, CA27 km74°F+6°FToo late in the season
Los Angeles, CA28 km78°F+5°FToo late in the season
Long Beach, CA41 km78°F+5°FToo late in the season
Riverside, CA52 km76°F+6°FToo late in the season
Mission Viejo, CA58 km76°F+6°FToo late in the season

This page also covers Whittier (13.2 km), Baldwin Park (2.7 km), Arcadia (11.9 km), South Whittier (16.1 km), Diamond Bar (12.7 km), Rosemead (12.4 km), Hacienda Heights (8.8 km), Glendora (10.1 km), Azusa (7.8 km), Rowland Heights (10.7 km) and 14 more: they share the same model grid cell area, within 25 km.

Questions

What is the soil temperature in West Covina today?
About 78°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), with a low of 72°F and a high of 86°F, from NOAA's GFS model run of Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern).
Is it time to put down crabgrass preventer in West Covina?
Soil here stayed above 50°F all last winter, so the 50 to 55°F soil rule gives no spring window. Time pre-emergent to your local calendar.
When did the soil in West Covina reach 55°F this year?
It never dropped below 55°F last winter.
How accurate is a modelled soil temperature?
Against NOAA's 108 reference stations the model's daily average was off by 4.2°F on average, and within 5°F on 68% of days. A shaded, mulched or watered yard can differ more.

Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) hourly data, version 2 (soil temperature at 5 cm and 10 cm, air temperature) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)); Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily (GHCN-Daily), daily maximum and minimum temperature (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).