What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 78541 today?

About 70°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 68°F and high 74°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 6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 78541?

Soil here stayed above 50°F all last winter, so the 50 to 55°F soil rule gives no spring window. Time pre-emergent to your local calendar.

ZIP 78541 · Alton North (historical), TX · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 78541

70°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 68°F · high 74°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 6 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

13° cooler

83°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

74°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Jan 31

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	82.8°F	79.1°F	86.0°F	analysis
Nov 5	79.9°F	74.9°F	84.8°F	analysis
Nov 6	80.6°F	77.1°F	83.2°F	analysis
Nov 7	78.7°F	74.9°F	81.4°F	analysis
Nov 8	77.8°F	74.9°F	79.6°F	analysis
Nov 9	74.6°F	73.4°F	76.4°F	analysis
Nov 10	70.0°F	69.0°F	72.1°F	analysis
Today	70.2°F	67.6°F	73.5°F	analysis
Nov 12	71.5°F	69.0°F	74.4°F	forecast
Nov 13	72.3°F	67.1°F	77.8°F	forecast
Nov 14	72.0°F	68.5°F	74.7°F	forecast
Nov 15	72.7°F	68.1°F	77.2°F	forecast
Nov 16	71.9°F	70.1°F	74.0°F	forecast
Nov 17	67.0°F	66.2°F	67.8°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	never below
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Jan 31
60°F	Tomatoes	Feb 3
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	Feb 6

McAllen, TX, 28 km away: the full city page, with the 2026 season chart, growing degree days and nearby cities →

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

78573 72°F · 78574 72°F · 78542 71°F · 78504 72°F · 78539 72°F · 78576 71°F · 78563 70°F · 78549 71°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 78541 today?: About 70°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 68°F and high 74°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 6 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 78541?: Soil here stayed above 50°F all last winter, so the 50 to 55°F soil rule gives no spring window. Time pre-emergent to your local calendar.

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).