What to do in Washington now
Washington is in the transition zone, where both cool- and warm-season lawns grow. Dates are typical for this spot, worked out from 23 years of weather at Washington Reagan National Airport; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 13 Typical: Mar 13 – Apr 32-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 13, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 13 – Apr 3, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · about 6 days left Typical: Oct 7 – Nov 94-inch soil is 60°, inside the 55–70°F range where tall fescue and bluegrass sprout fastest. The window typically closes around Nov 9.
- Late-fall feeding Final feeding from about Nov 22 Typical: Nov 22 – Dec 16Not too late. Feed on your normal fall schedule; the last feeding of the year goes down when 4-inch soil falls to about 50°F (typically Nov 22) and before it reaches 40°F (typically Dec 16).
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 13 Typical: Mar 13 – Apr 32-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 13, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 13 – Apr 3, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Apr 29 – Oct 7Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about Apr 29.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Sep 27 Typical: By Oct 54-inch soil fell below 70°F on Sep 27, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Oct 5 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Nov 9 Typical: Around Nov 9Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 9. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Washington soil is 3° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 75% of those dates since 2005, and 2° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Washington Reagan National Airport, 6.5 km from the city center. The dashed part runs the National Weather Service forecast through the same model. Hover or tap for any day.
2-inch soil, estimated From the NWS forecast Normal Normal range (8 years in 10)
Show the numbers
| Date | 2-inch soil | 4-inch soil | Air high / low | Normal (2 in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | 59° | 62° | 68° / 49° | 60° |
| Oct 22 | 59° | 61° | 70° / 45° | 60° |
| Oct 23 | 58° | 60° | 64° / 49° | 60° |
| Oct 24 | 57° | 59° | 64° / 42° | 59° |
| Oct 25 | 56° | 58° | 66° / 43° | 59° |
| Oct 26 | 57° | 59° | 72° / 46° | 59° |
| Oct 27 | 58° | 60° | 72° / 50° | 58° |
| Oct 28 | 59° | 60° | 69° / 51° | 58° |
| Oct 29 | 60° | 61° | 71° / 53° | 58° |
| Oct 30 | 61° | 62° | 77° / 54° | 57° |
| Oct 31 | 59° | 61° | 64° / 46° | 57° |
| Nov 1 | 59° | 60° | 66° / 50° | 56° |
| Nov 2 | 58° | 59° | 63° / 47° | 56° |
| Nov 3 | 58° | 60° | 73° / 48° | 55° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 62° | 62° | 76° / 62° | 55° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 64° | 64° | 75° / 63° | 55° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 63° | 64° | 71° / 52° | 55° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 60° | 62° | 64° / 43° | 54° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 58° | 60° | 62° / 43° | 54° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 56° | 58° | 62° / 41° | 54° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 55° | 57° | 65° / 43° | 53° |
Which grass grows in Washington
With January averaging 38°F, Washington sits in the transition zone. Tall fescue is the common cool-season choice; bermudagrass and zoysia are the common warm-season ones. Use the switch above to see the calendar for yours.
Washington soil through the year
Weekly 2-inch estimates for 2026 so far against 2025 and the normal for each week. The red lines mark 50°F, when crabgrass pre-emergent should be down, and 65°F, when warm-season seed sprouts well.
2026 2025 Normal (2005–2025) 8 years in 10
Normal by month
| Month | 2 in | 4 in | Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39° | 40° | 38° |
| Feb | 40° | 41° | 40° |
| Mar | 48° | 49° | 48° |
| Apr | 58° | 59° | 58° |
| May | 67° | 69° | 67° |
| Jun | 78° | 79° | 76° |
| Jul | 83° | 85° | 81° |
| Aug | 81° | 83° | 79° |
| Sep | 75° | 77° | 72° |
| Oct | 63° | 65° | 61° |
| Nov | 51° | 52° | 50° |
| Dec | 42° | 43° | 42° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Washington
Each date is when the soil estimate (or the air, for freezes) crossed the threshold, year by year since 2005. “Early” and “late” are the 10th and 90th percentile years, so 8 years in 10 fall between them.
| Event | Typical | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Last spring freeze (32°F) | Mar 23 | Mar 18 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Feb 5 | Feb 21 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Mar 13 | Mar 10 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Apr 3 | Mar 13 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 29 | Mar 13 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Apr 29 | Apr 17 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Oct 7 | Sep 28 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Nov 9 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Nov 9 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Nov 20 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 13 of 21 years) | Dec 16 | not yet |
Checked against a real sensor
Measured nearby: 56°F at 2 inches on Nov 3, at the USDA SCAN site “Powder Mill”, 12 miles away.
Our estimate for Washington on Nov 3 is 58°F; the sensor read 57°F at 4 inches against our 60°F. Sensor sites sit in open, unwatered ground outside town, so they often run a few degrees apart from city lawns; use them as a check on the trend.
There is no soil sensor in most cities, so we estimate it. Shallow soil follows air temperature with a lag of a few days, and runs a little warmer than the air in fall. We fitted that relationship to 190 USDA soil-sensor stations; on years held out of the fit, the estimate was off by 3.3°F on an average day, and it put the spring 55°F date within a median of 3 days. Read the methodology.
Weather: RCC ACIS station KDCA (WASHINGTON REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT), daily data since 1941. Forecast: National Weather Service, LWX office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 6:53 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Washington questions
What is the soil temperature in Washington today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 58°F at 2 inches and 60°F at 4 inches, as a daily average. Early-morning soil runs a few degrees cooler than that, and afternoon soil warmer.
When should I put down crabgrass pre-emergent in Washington? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Mar 13 to Apr 3 in Washington. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 13.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Washington? Wait for late spring. Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about Apr 29.
Is it too late to fertilize in Washington? Expected about Nov 9. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 9. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Washington? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Mar 23, and as late as Apr 4 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Nov 20.
Why 2 inches and 4 inches? Crabgrass and most weed seeds sprout in the top inch or two, so pre-emergent timing follows 2-inch soil. Grass seed and roots respond to the slightly steadier soil at about 4 inches.
How accurate is this? It is a model, not a probe in your yard. Expect about 3–4°F of difference on a given day; shade, slope, mulch and irrigation all move real soil. The dates and trends are more reliable than any single day.