What to do in New Orleans now
New Orleans is in warm-season grass country. Dates are typical for this spot, worked out from 23 years of weather at New Orleans Lakefront Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Feb 15 Typical: early Feb – Feb 152-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Feb 15, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 1 – Feb 15, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Opens about Nov 4 Typical: Nov 4 – Dec 11Fall is the best time to seed. Start once 4-inch soil cools below 70°F, typically Nov 4, and finish while it is above 55°F, typically Dec 11.
- Late-fall feeding Soil rarely cools to 40°F Typical: Through winterRoots stay active through most winters here. Feed on the fall schedule your extension office gives for your grass, and avoid feeding a lawn that is dormant from drought.
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Feb 15 Typical: early Feb – Feb 152-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Feb 15, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 1 – Feb 15, 2027.
- Seed or sod Seed or sod now Typical: Mar 12 – Nov 44-inch soil is 74°. Seed planted later than late summer has little warm weather left to establish before dormancy.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Apply now Typical: By Nov 3Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) starts sprouting when 4-inch soil falls below 70°F, typically Nov 3. A fall pre-emergent must be down before then. Skip it if you plan to overseed with ryegrass.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Dec 11 Typical: Around Dec 11Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Dec 11. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
New Orleans soil is 5° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 83% of those dates since 2005, and 11° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at New Orleans Lakefront Ap, 9.1 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 | 70° | 72° | 78° / 62° | 74° |
| Oct 22 | 71° | 73° | 79° / 65° | 73° |
| Oct 23 | 71° | 73° | 81° / 63° | 73° |
| Oct 24 | 71° | 73° | 77° / 66° | 73° |
| Oct 25 | 71° | 72° | 76° / 63° | 73° |
| Oct 26 | 71° | 72° | 77° / 64° | 72° |
| Oct 27 | 71° | 72° | 78° / 65° | 72° |
| Oct 28 | 71° | 73° | 79° / 66° | 71° |
| Oct 29 | 71° | 73° | 78° / 66° | 71° |
| Oct 30 | 72° | 73° | 77° / 68° | 70° |
| Oct 31 | 72° | 73° | 78° / 70° | 70° |
| Nov 1 | 73° | 74° | 76° / 72° | 69° |
| Nov 2 | 73° | 74° | 75° / 71° | 69° |
| Nov 3 | 74° | 74° | 80° / 71° | 69° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 73° | 74° | 79° / 63° | 69° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 72° | 74° | 78° / 66° | 69° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 71° | 73° | 77° / 59° | 69° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 69° | 71° | 73° / 55° | 69° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 66° | 69° | 67° / 53° | 68° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 64° | 67° | 68° / 53° | 68° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 64° | 66° | 70° / 55° | 68° |
Which grass grows in New Orleans
With mild winters (January averages 54°F), most New Orleans lawns are warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, St. Augustine, zoysia and centipede. They grow through summer and slow or go dormant in winter.
New Orleans 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 | 55° | 56° | 54° |
| Feb | 59° | 60° | 58° |
| Mar | 66° | 67° | 64° |
| Apr | 72° | 73° | 71° |
| May | 79° | 81° | 78° |
| Jun | 85° | 87° | 83° |
| Jul | 87° | 88° | 84° |
| Aug | 87° | 89° | 85° |
| Sep | 84° | 85° | 81° |
| Oct | 76° | 78° | 73° |
| Nov | 65° | 67° | 63° |
| Dec | 59° | 60° | 57° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in New Orleans
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) (in 13 of 21 years) | Jan 21 | Feb 2 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Jan 11 | Jan 8 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | early Feb | Feb 10 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Feb 15 | Feb 15 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Feb 2 | Feb 13 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Mar 12 | Feb 22 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Nov 4 | not yet |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) (in 11 of 21 years) | Dec 11 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) (in 11 of 21 years) | Dec 11 | not yet |
Where these numbers come from
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 KNEW (NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AP), daily data since 1937. Forecast: National Weather Service, LIX office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 5:57 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
New Orleans questions
What is the soil temperature in New Orleans today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 74°F at 2 inches and 74°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 New Orleans? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been early Feb to Feb 15 in New Orleans. For 2026 the window closed on Feb 15.
When can I seed bermudagrass in New Orleans? Seed or sod now. 4-inch soil is 74°. Seed planted later than late summer has little warm weather left to establish before dormancy.
Is it too late to fertilize in New Orleans? Expected about Dec 11. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Dec 11. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in New Orleans? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Jan 21, and as late as Feb 16 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Dec 16.
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.