What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 80728 today?

About 52°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 47°F and high 58°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 16 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 80728?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 20 and 55°F from Mar 21.

ZIP 80728 · Sterling, CO · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 80728

52°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 47°F · high 58°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 16 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

4° warmer

48°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

52°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Mar 21

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	48.4°F	42.8°F	54.8°F	analysis
Nov 5	49.9°F	46.0°F	55.0°F	analysis
Nov 6	48.5°F	42.4°F	55.4°F	analysis
Nov 7	51.0°F	44.9°F	58.2°F	analysis
Nov 8	52.4°F	45.9°F	59.0°F	analysis
Nov 9	53.6°F	48.1°F	59.6°F	analysis
Nov 10	52.8°F	46.7°F	60.4°F	analysis
Today	52.2°F	46.7°F	57.8°F	analysis
Nov 12	52.6°F	46.9°F	59.2°F	forecast
Nov 13	51.6°F	46.3°F	56.8°F	forecast
Nov 14	48.9°F	44.9°F	53.1°F	forecast
Nov 15	51.4°F	48.1°F	54.3°F	forecast
Nov 16	48.4°F	44.2°F	53.3°F	forecast
Nov 17	48.6°F	42.9°F	55.2°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	Feb 6
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 20
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Mar 21
60°F	Tomatoes	Mar 21
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	May 26

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

80736 53°F · 80731 53°F · 80751 52°F · 80726 52°F · 80722 53°F · 80746 53°F · 80749 52°F · 80747 51°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 80728 today?: About 52°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 47°F and high 58°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 16 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 80728?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 20 and 55°F from Mar 21.

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).