What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 86520 today?

About 51°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 44°F and high 60°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 5.3 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.

Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 86520?

The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 11 and 55°F from Mar 14.

ZIP 86520 · Arizona · Nov 11, 2026

Soil temperature for ZIP code 86520

51°Faverage today, 0–4 in deep (modelled)
low 44°F · high 60°F

Modelled by NOAA GFS, not measured · run Nov 11, 12:00 UTC (7 am Eastern) · grid cell 5.3 km from the ZIP centre point

On a week ago

2° warmer

50°F on Nov 4

5-day mean

51°F

what the verdicts use

Held 55°F last spring

Mar 14

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	49.6°F	43.1°F	56.5°F	analysis
Nov 5	49.0°F	42.0°F	57.3°F	analysis
Nov 6	50.4°F	46.2°F	57.8°F	analysis
Nov 7	50.5°F	44.0°F	58.4°F	analysis
Nov 8	51.2°F	43.2°F	61.6°F	analysis
Nov 9	52.1°F	44.0°F	62.2°F	analysis
Nov 10	52.1°F	44.4°F	61.3°F	analysis
Today	51.4°F	44.2°F	60.4°F	analysis
Nov 12	51.9°F	44.5°F	61.3°F	forecast
Nov 13	50.8°F	44.9°F	57.9°F	forecast
Nov 14	49.6°F	46.5°F	52.6°F	forecast
Nov 15	47.8°F	40.7°F	55.8°F	forecast
Nov 16	48.4°F	41.5°F	57.0°F	forecast
Nov 17	50.0°F	43.1°F	58.5°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 3
50°F	Pre-emergent window opens	Mar 11
55°F	Crabgrass can germinate	Mar 14
60°F	Tomatoes	Mar 20
65°F	Warm-season grass seed	Mar 22

Nearby ZIP codes

Today's modelled average.

86503 52°F · 86034 52°F · 86510 50°F · 86042 54°F · 86540 51°F · 86538 52°F · 86505 53°F · 86511 48°F

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

Questions

What is the soil temperature in ZIP code 86520 today?: About 51°F on average in the top 4 inches (0–10 cm), low 44°F and high 60°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 5.3 km from the ZIP centre, not a reading from your yard.
Is it time for crabgrass preventer in 86520?: The spring window is closed. It opens again when the soil holds 50°F. Last spring the soil held 50°F from Mar 11 and 55°F from Mar 14.

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).