What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 19936 today?

About 54°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 50°F and high 57°F, from NOAA's GFS model run of Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern). It is a model value for a grid cell 8.1 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 19936?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 31 and 55°F from May 5.

ZIP 19936 · Dover, DE · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 19936

54°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 50°F · high 57°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 8.1 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

6° cooler

60°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

54°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

May 5

crabgrass germination temperature

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, modelled. Dots and line: daily average (dashed = forecast); bars: low to high; green band: 50–55°F.

View as table

Day	Average	Low	High
Nov 4	59.8°F	55.7°F	63.1°F	analysis
Nov 5	64.0°F	61.3°F	67.6°F	analysis
Nov 6	64.8°F	62.8°F	66.5°F	analysis
Nov 7	56.8°F	55.3°F	59.3°F	analysis
Nov 8	52.9°F	50.3°F	54.9°F	analysis
Nov 9	53.4°F	50.8°F	55.3°F	analysis
Nov 10	52.6°F	48.5°F	56.1°F	analysis
Today	54.2°F	49.9°F	57.2°F	analysis
Nov 12	55.7°F	55.0°F	56.4°F	forecast
Nov 13	49.7°F	47.1°F	53.0°F	forecast
Nov 14	43.5°F	40.6°F	44.8°F	forecast
Nov 15	42.8°F	39.5°F	45.2°F	forecast
Nov 16	44.1°F	40.2°F	47.2°F	forecast
Nov 17	44.7°F	41.3°F	46.9°F	forecast

Source: NOAA NCEP GFS 0.25°, 0–10 cm soil temperature, run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern).

Spring 2026 threshold dates

From the 5-day mean held for 10 days or more.

Soil	What it means	Held from (spring 2026)
40°F	Peas and lettuce	Mar 5
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 31
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	May 5
60°F	Tomatoes	May 17
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	Jun 5

Dover, DE, 9 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

19904 54°F · 19955 54°F · 19977 54°F · 19901 54°F · 19938 54°F · 19953 54°F · 19902 54°F · 19934 55°F

More: crabgrass timing in Delaware · every Delaware city · how accurate the model is.

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 19936 today?: About 54°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 50°F and high 57°F, from NOAA's GFS model run of Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern). It is a model value for a grid cell 8.1 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 19936?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 31 and 55°F from May 5.

Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); 2025 Gazetteer ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) and 2024 cartographic boundary state outlines (U.S. Census Bureau).