What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 23116 today?

About 57°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 54°F and high 60°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 11.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 23116?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 7 and 55°F from Apr 13.

ZIP 23116 · Mechanicsville, VA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 23116

57°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 54°F · high 60°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 11.6 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

4° cooler

61°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

56°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Apr 13

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	61.3°F	57.9°F	64.9°F	analysis
Nov 5	66.2°F	64.2°F	69.1°F	analysis
Nov 6	66.9°F	64.5°F	68.3°F	analysis
Nov 7	59.0°F	58.0°F	61.1°F	analysis
Nov 8	53.4°F	50.3°F	55.6°F	analysis
Nov 9	54.6°F	51.7°F	57.1°F	analysis
Nov 10	54.4°F	50.7°F	57.9°F	analysis
Today	57.1°F	53.5°F	60.4°F	analysis
Nov 12	57.3°F	55.3°F	58.7°F	forecast
Nov 13	53.2°F	51.7°F	56.1°F	forecast
Nov 14	47.4°F	45.1°F	48.7°F	forecast
Nov 15	45.3°F	42.2°F	47.4°F	forecast
Nov 16	45.3°F	42.4°F	47.5°F	forecast
Nov 17	45.7°F	42.9°F	47.9°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	Feb 27
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 7
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Apr 13
60°F	Tomatoes	May 17
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	Jun 5

Richmond, VA, 17 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

23111 58°F · 23227 62°F · 23075 58°F · 23106 57°F · 23222 62°F · 23223 62°F · 23069 57°F · 23228 58°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 23116 today?: About 57°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 54°F and high 60°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 11.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 23116?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 7 and 55°F from Apr 13.

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).