What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50002 today?

About 50°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 49°F and high 51°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 8.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50002?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Apr 13 and 55°F from May 11.

ZIP 50002 · Atlantic, IA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 50002

50°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 49°F · high 51°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 8.6 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

2° cooler

52°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

48°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

May 11

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	51.9°F	49.4°F	55.0°F	analysis
Nov 5	48.9°F	48.0°F	50.2°F	analysis
Nov 6	46.7°F	45.4°F	47.9°F	analysis
Nov 7	43.0°F	40.4°F	46.2°F	analysis
Nov 8	47.3°F	44.5°F	51.2°F	analysis
Nov 9	49.1°F	45.4°F	54.0°F	analysis
Nov 10	51.2°F	48.5°F	53.8°F	analysis
Today	50.1°F	48.7°F	51.4°F	analysis
Nov 12	45.3°F	44.0°F	48.3°F	forecast
Nov 13	39.6°F	39.0°F	40.2°F	forecast
Nov 14	37.6°F	36.6°F	39.2°F	forecast
Nov 15	36.8°F	36.0°F	38.0°F	forecast
Nov 16	41.0°F	38.6°F	44.3°F	forecast
Nov 17	42.0°F	39.3°F	45.2°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	Mar 6
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Apr 13
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	May 11
60°F	Tomatoes	May 26
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	May 28

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

50048 50°F · 50020 50°F · 50164 50°F · 50076 50°F · 50115 50°F · 50042 50°F · 50117 50°F · 50274 50°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50002 today?: About 50°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 49°F and high 51°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 8.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50002?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Apr 13 and 55°F from May 11.

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).