What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 70503 today?

About 70°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 67°F and high 72°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 10.2 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 70503?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Feb 7 and 55°F from Feb 10.

ZIP 70503 · Lafayette, LA · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 70503

70°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 67°F · high 72°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 10.2 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

4° cooler

73°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

67°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Feb 10

crabgrass germination temperature

What the soil says today

Pre-emergentSeason over
Cool-season seedToo late in the season
Warm-season seedWarm enough
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	73.3°F	72.2°F	74.2°F	analysis
Nov 5	69.8°F	65.9°F	73.3°F	analysis
Nov 6	69.0°F	65.8°F	72.2°F	analysis
Nov 7	68.5°F	66.1°F	70.6°F	analysis
Nov 8	64.4°F	62.2°F	66.1°F	analysis
Nov 9	63.8°F	60.2°F	67.6°F	analysis
Nov 10	67.0°F	63.6°F	71.5°F	analysis
Today	69.5°F	67.0°F	72.1°F	analysis
Nov 12	68.9°F	66.7°F	70.6°F	forecast
Nov 13	65.1°F	61.7°F	67.9°F	forecast
Nov 14	62.1°F	59.7°F	64.0°F	forecast
Nov 15	60.6°F	57.8°F	63.8°F	forecast
Nov 16	61.5°F	58.9°F	64.2°F	forecast
Nov 17	60.0°F	56.6°F	63.0°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	never below
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Feb 7
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Feb 10
60°F	Tomatoes	Feb 12
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	Mar 2

Lafayette, LA, 7 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

70508 70°F · 70506 70°F · 70558 70°F · 70501 70°F · 70529 70°F · 70592 70°F · 70583 70°F · 70507 70°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 70503 today?: About 70°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 67°F and high 72°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 10.2 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 70503?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Feb 7 and 55°F from Feb 10.

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).