What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50853 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 2.1 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50853?

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 11.

ZIP 50853 · Atlantic, IA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 50853

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 2.1 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

2° cooler

53°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

49°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	53.0°F	50.8°F	56.1°F	analysis
Nov 5	49.8°F	49.0°F	50.8°F	analysis
Nov 6	47.8°F	46.5°F	49.0°F	analysis
Nov 7	43.5°F	40.9°F	46.5°F	analysis
Nov 8	47.4°F	44.5°F	51.6°F	analysis
Nov 9	49.5°F	45.8°F	54.5°F	analysis
Nov 10	52.0°F	49.4°F	54.7°F	analysis
Today	50.9°F	49.6°F	52.2°F	analysis
Nov 12	46.1°F	45.1°F	48.9°F	forecast
Nov 13	40.1°F	39.3°F	41.1°F	forecast
Nov 14	38.1°F	37.1°F	39.2°F	forecast
Nov 15	37.4°F	36.2°F	39.8°F	forecast
Nov 16	41.8°F	39.7°F	45.0°F	forecast
Nov 17	42.4°F	39.5°F	45.7°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	Mar 6
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 22
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.

50837 51°F · 50843 51°F · 50846 51°F · 50274 50°F · 50847 51°F · 50020 50°F · 50839 52°F · 50859 51°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 50853 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 2.1 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 50853?: 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 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).