What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 28581 today?

About 62°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 60°F and high 64°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 12 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 28581?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Jan 6 and 55°F from Mar 5.

ZIP 28581 · Morehead City, NC · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 28581

62°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 60°F · high 64°F

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

On a week ago

5° cooler

68°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

62°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Mar 5

crabgrass germination temperature

What the soil says today

Pre-emergentSeason over
Cool-season seedToo late in the season
Warm-season seedToo cold
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, 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	67.5°F	65.2°F	69.8°F	analysis
Nov 5	70.2°F	68.5°F	71.8°F	analysis
Nov 6	71.1°F	69.9°F	71.9°F	analysis
Nov 7	67.7°F	66.5°F	70.1°F	analysis
Nov 8	60.7°F	58.6°F	62.7°F	analysis
Nov 9	59.9°F	57.3°F	62.0°F	analysis
Nov 10	60.5°F	57.3°F	63.0°F	analysis
Today	62.4°F	59.8°F	64.4°F	analysis
Nov 12	64.3°F	62.5°F	65.8°F	forecast
Nov 13	59.7°F	57.9°F	63.1°F	forecast
Nov 14	51.6°F	49.4°F	53.4°F	forecast
Nov 15	48.2°F	45.6°F	49.7°F	forecast
Nov 16	49.3°F	46.9°F	51.9°F	forecast
Nov 17	53.4°F	51.2°F	56.0°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 11
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Jan 6
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Mar 5
60°F	Tomatoes	Mar 7
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	May 17

Havelock, NC, 43 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

28524 62°F · 28579 62°F · 28577 62°F · 28589 62°F · 28511 62°F · 28553 62°F · 28528 62°F · 28516 62°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 28581 today?: About 62°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 60°F and high 64°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 12 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 28581?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Jan 6 and 55°F from Mar 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).