What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 23831 today?

About 58°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 54°F and high 61°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 23831?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 6 and 55°F from Apr 13.

ZIP 23831 · Chester, VA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 23831

58°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 54°F · high 61°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

62°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	61.9°F	58.4°F	65.8°F	analysis
Nov 5	66.8°F	64.2°F	69.7°F	analysis
Nov 6	67.3°F	65.4°F	68.8°F	analysis
Nov 7	60.1°F	59.2°F	62.0°F	analysis
Nov 8	54.2°F	51.5°F	56.1°F	analysis
Nov 9	54.8°F	52.1°F	57.3°F	analysis
Nov 10	55.4°F	51.6°F	58.8°F	analysis
Today	57.7°F	54.1°F	61.0°F	analysis
Nov 12	58.2°F	56.0°F	60.0°F	forecast
Nov 13	54.6°F	53.1°F	57.3°F	forecast
Nov 14	49.0°F	46.7°F	50.7°F	forecast
Nov 15	45.8°F	42.9°F	47.8°F	forecast
Nov 16	46.4°F	43.8°F	48.4°F	forecast
Nov 17	46.6°F	43.8°F	49.2°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	Jan 7
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 6
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Apr 13
60°F	Tomatoes	May 17
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	May 28

Petersburg, VA, 14 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

23237 62°F · 23834 58°F · 23836 58°F · 23234 62°F · 23832 62°F · 23803 58°F · 23801 58°F · 23231 58°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 23831 today?: About 58°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 54°F and high 61°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 23831?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 6 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).