Arlington Heights, Illinois · Nov 11, 2026
Soil temperature today in Arlington Heights
low 50°F · high 54°F
Modelled by NOAA GFS · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 10 km from Arlington Heights
What the soil says today
- Pre-emergentSeason over
- Cool-season seedToo late in the season
- Warm-season seedToo cold
- TomatoesToo cold
- 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.
- Daily average
- Low to high
- 50–55°F window
View as table
| Day | Average | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 62.1°F | 58.7°F | 64.0°F | analysis |
| Nov 5 | 54.0°F | 53.3°F | 55.5°F | analysis |
| Nov 6 | 48.6°F | 45.8°F | 50.6°F | analysis |
| Nov 7 | 46.1°F | 42.0°F | 49.5°F | analysis |
| Nov 8 | 48.2°F | 42.7°F | 54.0°F | analysis |
| Nov 9 | 51.0°F | 46.3°F | 54.6°F | analysis |
| Nov 10 | 53.7°F | 49.0°F | 57.8°F | analysis |
| Today | 51.8°F | 50.3°F | 53.7°F | forecast |
| Nov 12 | 46.3°F | 44.5°F | 48.1°F | forecast |
| Nov 13 | 40.9°F | 37.7°F | 43.2°F | forecast |
| Nov 14 | 40.5°F | 36.4°F | 44.3°F | forecast |
| Nov 15 | 43.9°F | 40.6°F | 47.1°F | forecast |
| Nov 16 | 44.5°F | 40.4°F | 47.5°F | forecast |
| Nov 17 | 44.4°F | 40.4°F | 47.4°F | forecast |
What the soil says for each job
Today's verdicts use the 5-day mean of the modelled 0–4 in layer.
| Job | Soil rule | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Crabgrass pre-emergent | Apply while the soil holds 50 to 55°F, before crabgrass germinates at about 55°F | Season over The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Apr 12 and 55°F from May 12. |
| Seed or overseed cool-season grass | Fescue, bluegrass and ryegrass germinate best in soil of 50 to 65°F | Too late in the season Past the usual Aug 15 to Oct 15 seeding window (50°F soil today). |
| Seed warm-season grass | Bermuda, zoysia and centipede need soil of 65°F or more | Too cold 50°F: under 65°F. |
| Plant out tomatoes | Tomato roots want soil of 60°F or more (check your frost date as well) | Too cold 50°F: under 60°F. |
| Sow peas, lettuce and spinach | Cool-weather crops germinate once soil reaches about 40°F | Warm enough 50°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.
- Daily average
- 50–55°F window
When the soil crossed each threshold
2026, from the 5-day mean held for 10 days or more.
| Soil | What it means | Held from (spring 2026) | Fell below (autumn 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40°F | Peas and lettuce can be sown | Mar 6 | not yet |
| 50°F | Pre-emergent window opens | Apr 12 | not yet |
| 55°F | Crabgrass can germinate | May 12 | not yet |
| 60°F | Warm enough for tomatoes | May 25 | not yet |
| 65°F | Warm-season grass seed | May 27 | Sep 22 |
Growing degree days in Arlington Heights
Base 50°F, from 1 January to Nov 8, at the Chicago Palwaukee Airport station (7.2 km).
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.
Soil temperature nearby
Each from a different model grid cell.
| City | Distance | Soil today | vs a week ago | Grass seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin, IL | 25 km | 48°F | −12°F | Too late in the season |
| North Chicago, IL | 29 km | 53°F | −10°F | Too late in the season |
| Downers Grove, IL | 31 km | 52°F | −10°F | Too late in the season |
| McHenry, IL | 36 km | 48°F | −12°F | Too late in the season |
| Chicago, IL | 38 km | 54°F | −10°F | Too late in the season |
| Aurora, IL | 46 km | 48°F | −12°F | Too late in the season |
This page also covers Schaumburg (10.5 km), Palatine (5 km), Skokie (21.3 km), Des Plaines (10.1 km), Mount Prospect (4.3 km), Hoffman Estates (9.6 km), Glenview (16 km), Buffalo Grove (7.2 km), Wheeling (7.1 km), Park Ridge (14.4 km) and 15 more: they share the same model grid cell area, within 25 km.
Questions
- What is the soil temperature in Arlington Heights today?
- About 52°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), with a low of 50°F and a high of 54°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 Arlington Heights?
- The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Apr 12 and 55°F from May 12.
- When did the soil in Arlington Heights reach 55°F this year?
- The 5-day average held 55°F from May 12, 2026.
- 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).