What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 49436 today?

About 49°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 48°F and high 50°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 7.4 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 49436?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from May 18 and 55°F from May 27.

ZIP 49436 · Ludington, MI · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 49436

49°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 48°F · high 50°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 7.4 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

15° cooler

63°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

48°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

May 27

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	63.3°F	61.9°F	64.5°F	analysis
Nov 5	54.2°F	51.3°F	57.2°F	analysis
Nov 6	46.9°F	45.6°F	49.0°F	analysis
Nov 7	45.9°F	44.7°F	46.9°F	analysis
Nov 8	48.0°F	45.8°F	51.0°F	analysis
Nov 9	49.0°F	46.8°F	50.2°F	analysis
Nov 10	50.9°F	48.7°F	52.3°F	analysis
Today	48.6°F	47.8°F	49.6°F	analysis
Nov 12	44.8°F	42.8°F	47.2°F	forecast
Nov 13	39.8°F	38.6°F	40.8°F	forecast
Nov 14	41.4°F	40.0°F	43.0°F	forecast
Nov 15	42.6°F	41.3°F	44.0°F	forecast
Nov 16	40.2°F	38.2°F	41.8°F	forecast
Nov 17	41.7°F	38.8°F	44.7°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	Apr 10
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	May 18
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	May 27
60°F	Tomatoes	not reached
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	not reached

Muskegon, MI, 53 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

49455 48°F · 49449 49°F · 49420 47°F · 49446 48°F · 49437 48°F · 49452 48°F · 49459 48°F · 49431 47°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 49436 today?: About 49°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 48°F and high 50°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 7.4 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 49436?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from May 18 and 55°F from May 27.

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).