What to do in Wilmington now
Wilmington is in warm-season grass country. Dates are typical for this spot, worked out from 23 years of weather at Wilmington Int'L Airport; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 6 Typical: Feb 12 – Mar 132-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 6, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 12 – Mar 13, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · about 20 days left Typical: Oct 16 – Nov 234-inch soil is 65°, inside the 55–70°F range where tall fescue and bluegrass sprout fastest. The window typically closes around Nov 23.
- 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 Mar 6 Typical: Feb 12 – Mar 132-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 6, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 12 – Mar 13, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Apr 8 – Oct 16Warm-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 8.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Oct 21 Typical: By Oct 154-inch soil fell below 70°F on Oct 21, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Oct 15 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Nov 23 Typical: Around Nov 23Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 23. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Wilmington soil is 4° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 71% of those dates since 2005, and 7° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Wilmington Int'L 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 | 62° | 65° | 73° / 45° | 65° |
| Oct 22 | 61° | 64° | 72° / 43° | 64° |
| Oct 23 | 60° | 63° | 72° / 42° | 64° |
| Oct 24 | 61° | 63° | 74° / 55° | 64° |
| Oct 25 | 62° | 64° | 75° / 56° | 64° |
| Oct 26 | 62° | 64° | 74° / 50° | 64° |
| Oct 27 | 61° | 63° | 75° / 44° | 63° |
| Oct 28 | 63° | 64° | 77° / 54° | 63° |
| Oct 29 | 64° | 65° | 79° / 59° | 63° |
| Oct 30 | 66° | 66° | 81° / 56° | 62° |
| Oct 31 | 64° | 66° | 70° / 54° | 62° |
| Nov 1 | 64° | 65° | 72° / 51° | 61° |
| Nov 2 | 63° | 65° | 73° / 53° | 61° |
| Nov 3 | 64° | 65° | 77° / 56° | 61° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 67° | 67° | 80° / 65° | 60° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 69° | 69° | 81° / 66° | 60° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 68° | 69° | 78° / 58° | 60° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 66° | 67° | 73° / 46° | 60° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 63° | 65° | 69° / 45° | 60° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 61° | 63° | 68° / 44° | 59° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 60° | 62° | 70° / 46° | 59° |
Which grass grows in Wilmington
With mild winters (January averages 47°F), most Wilmington lawns are warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, St. Augustine, zoysia and centipede. They grow through summer and slow or go dormant in winter.
Wilmington 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 | 47° | 48° | 47° |
| Feb | 49° | 50° | 49° |
| Mar | 55° | 56° | 55° |
| Apr | 64° | 65° | 64° |
| May | 72° | 73° | 71° |
| Jun | 80° | 81° | 78° |
| Jul | 83° | 85° | 82° |
| Aug | 82° | 84° | 80° |
| Sep | 77° | 79° | 75° |
| Oct | 68° | 69° | 66° |
| Nov | 57° | 58° | 56° |
| Dec | 50° | 51° | 50° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Wilmington
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 14 | Mar 18 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Jan 14 | Jan 13 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Feb 12 | Feb 20 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 13 | Mar 6 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 2 | Mar 6 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Apr 8 | Mar 11 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Oct 16 | Oct 22 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Nov 23 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Nov 23 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Nov 20 | 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 KILM (WILMINGTON INT'L AIRPORT), daily data since 1933. Forecast: National Weather Service, ILM office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 5:35 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Wilmington questions
What is the soil temperature in Wilmington today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 64°F at 2 inches and 65°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 Wilmington? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Feb 12 to Mar 13 in Wilmington. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 6.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Wilmington? 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 8.
Is it too late to fertilize in Wilmington? Expected about Nov 23. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 23. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Wilmington? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Mar 14, and as late as Mar 30 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.