What to do in Roanoke now
Roanoke 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 Roanoke-Blacksburg Rgnl Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 10 Typical: Mar 13 – Mar 302-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 10, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 13 – Mar 30, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · about 1 day left Typical: Sep 25 – Nov 44-inch soil is 58°, inside the 55–70°F range where tall fescue and bluegrass sprout fastest. The window typically closes around Nov 4.
- Late-fall feeding Final feeding from about Nov 14 Typical: Nov 14 – Dec 10Not 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 14) and before it reaches 40°F (typically Dec 10).
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 10 Typical: Mar 13 – Mar 302-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 10, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 13 – Mar 30, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Apr 29 – Sep 25Warm-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 Sep 244-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 Sep 24 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Nov 4 Typical: Around Nov 4Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 4. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Roanoke soil is 3° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 73% of those dates since 2005, and 5° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Roanoke-Blacksburg Rgnl Ap, 4.5 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 | 56° | 59° | 72° / 38° | 58° |
| Oct 22 | 56° | 58° | 72° / 40° | 58° |
| Oct 23 | 55° | 58° | 67° / 40° | 57° |
| Oct 24 | 54° | 56° | 62° / 41° | 57° |
| Oct 25 | 53° | 56° | 64° / 39° | 57° |
| Oct 26 | 54° | 56° | 71° / 38° | 56° |
| Oct 27 | 55° | 56° | 73° / 41° | 56° |
| Oct 28 | 55° | 56° | 66° / 43° | 56° |
| Oct 29 | 57° | 58° | 74° / 49° | 55° |
| Oct 30 | 59° | 60° | 80° / 50° | 55° |
| Oct 31 | 57° | 58° | 65° / 42° | 55° |
| Nov 1 | 57° | 58° | 65° / 45° | 54° |
| Nov 2 | 57° | 58° | 67° / 48° | 54° |
| Nov 3 | 57° | 58° | 72° / 41° | 53° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 60° | 60° | 74° / 62° | 53° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 62° | 62° | 78° / 58° | 53° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 62° | 62° | 74° / 47° | 53° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 58° | 60° | 64° / 37° | 53° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 56° | 58° | 64° / 37° | 52° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 54° | 56° | 64° / 36° | 52° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 54° | 56° | 69° / 38° | 52° |
Which grass grows in Roanoke
With January averaging 38°F, Roanoke 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.
Roanoke 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 | 41° | 42° | 41° |
| Mar | 48° | 49° | 48° |
| Apr | 58° | 59° | 58° |
| May | 67° | 68° | 66° |
| Jun | 75° | 77° | 74° |
| Jul | 80° | 81° | 78° |
| Aug | 78° | 80° | 76° |
| Sep | 72° | 73° | 70° |
| Oct | 61° | 63° | 59° |
| Nov | 49° | 51° | 48° |
| Dec | 41° | 43° | 41° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Roanoke
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) | Apr 3 | Apr 21 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Feb 5 | Feb 14 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Mar 13 | Mar 7 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 30 | Mar 10 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 26 | Mar 10 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Apr 29 | Apr 17 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Sep 25 | Sep 29 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Nov 4 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Nov 4 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Nov 1 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 15 of 21 years) | Dec 10 | 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 KROA (ROANOKE-BLACKSBURG RGNL AP), daily data since 1948. Forecast: National Weather Service, RNK office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 7:00 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Roanoke questions
What is the soil temperature in Roanoke today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 57°F at 2 inches and 58°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 Roanoke? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Mar 13 to Mar 30 in Roanoke. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 10.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Roanoke? 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 Roanoke? Expected about Nov 4. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 4. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Roanoke? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Apr 3, and as late as Apr 16 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Nov 1.
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.