What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50830 today?

About 51°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 50°F and high 52°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 5.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50830?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 22 and 55°F from May 12.

ZIP 50830 · Creston, IA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 50830

51°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 50°F · high 52°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 5.6 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

3° cooler

54°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

49°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

May 12

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	54.5°F	52.1°F	57.9°F	analysis
Nov 5	50.4°F	49.8°F	51.0°F	analysis
Nov 6	47.7°F	46.7°F	49.2°F	analysis
Nov 7	43.4°F	41.1°F	45.9°F	analysis
Nov 8	46.9°F	44.2°F	50.9°F	analysis
Nov 9	49.4°F	45.9°F	53.9°F	analysis
Nov 10	51.8°F	49.6°F	54.0°F	analysis
Today	51.1°F	49.9°F	52.2°F	analysis
Nov 12	46.5°F	45.3°F	49.2°F	forecast
Nov 13	40.5°F	39.7°F	41.5°F	forecast
Nov 14	38.3°F	37.5°F	39.7°F	forecast
Nov 15	37.6°F	36.8°F	39.3°F	forecast
Nov 16	39.7°F	37.3°F	43.1°F	forecast
Nov 17	41.2°F	38.6°F	44.3°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	Mar 22
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	May 12
60°F	Tomatoes	May 27
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	May 29

Indianola, IA, 65 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

50831 51°F · 50254 52°F · 50861 51°F · 50149 51°F · 50174 52°F · 50801 51°F · 50863 52°F · 50074 52°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50830 today?: About 51°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 50°F and high 52°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 5.6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50830?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 22 and 55°F from May 12.

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).