What to do in Tacoma now
Tacoma 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 Tacoma Narrows Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed May 3 Typical: Apr 13 – May 102-inch soil held 55°F for a week from May 3, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Apr 13 – May 10, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Too late this fall Typical: Aug 10 – Oct 184-inch soil fell below 50°F on Nov 3; new seedlings rarely establish now. Seed next fall from about Aug 10, or dormant-seed once soil is near freezing so seed sprouts in spring.
- Late-fall feeding Last call · about 35 days Typical: Nov 7 – Dec 8Top growth has slowed but roots keep feeding until 4-inch soil cools to about 40°F, typically Dec 8. A final nitrogen feeding now goes to the roots.
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed May 3 Typical: Apr 13 – May 102-inch soil held 55°F for a week from May 3, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Apr 13 – May 10, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Jun 27 – Aug 10Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about Jun 27.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Aug 17 Typical: By Aug 104-inch soil fell below 70°F on Aug 17, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Aug 10 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Dormant since about Oct 25 Typical: Around Oct 184-inch soil has stayed under 55°F since Oct 25, so warm-season grass is going brown. It is too late to fertilize; feed again after spring green-up, once soil holds 65°F (typically Jun 27).
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Tacoma soil is 2° cooler than normal for Nov 3, cooler than on 76% of those dates since 2005, and 2° cooler than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Tacoma Narrows Ap, 8.9 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 20 | 54° | 56° | 60° / 46° | 53° |
| Oct 21 | 54° | 56° | 64° / 43° | 53° |
| Oct 22 | 53° | 55° | 59° / 43° | 52° |
| Oct 23 | 52° | 54° | 57° / 43° | 52° |
| Oct 24 | 51° | 53° | 55° / 39° | 51° |
| Oct 25 | 50° | 52° | 54° / 46° | 51° |
| Oct 26 | 51° | 53° | 57° / 48° | 51° |
| Oct 27 | 51° | 53° | 55° / 47° | 50° |
| Oct 28 | 50° | 52° | 52° / 45° | 50° |
| Oct 29 | 50° | 51° | 54° / 43° | 50° |
| Oct 30 | 48° | 50° | 49° / 41° | 50° |
| Oct 31 | 47° | 49° | 52° / 38° | 50° |
| Nov 1 | 46° | 49° | 49° / 40° | 50° |
| Nov 2 | 45° | 48° | 49° / 37° | 49° |
| Nov 3 | 47° | 49° | 59° / 43° | 49° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 48° | 49° | 57° / 46° | 49° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 49° | 50° | 57° / 44° | 49° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 49° | 50° | 55° / 46° | 49° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 51° | 52° | 61° / 50° | 48° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 50° | 51° | 56° / 42° | 48° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 50° | 51° | 56° / 46° | 48° |
Which grass grows in Tacoma
With January averaging 41°F, Tacoma 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.
Tacoma 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 | 40° | 42° | 41° |
| Feb | 42° | 43° | 43° |
| Mar | 45° | 46° | 46° |
| Apr | 50° | 51° | 50° |
| May | 56° | 58° | 56° |
| Jun | 61° | 63° | 60° |
| Jul | 67° | 68° | 65° |
| Aug | 68° | 69° | 65° |
| Sep | 63° | 64° | 61° |
| Oct | 54° | 55° | 52° |
| Nov | 46° | 47° | 45° |
| Dec | 41° | 42° | 41° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Tacoma
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 30 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Jan 26 | Jan 21 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Apr 13 | Apr 7 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | May 10 | May 3 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | May 8 | Apr 25 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Jun 27 | Jun 17 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Aug 10 | Aug 17 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Oct 18 | Oct 25 |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Oct 18 | Oct 25 |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Nov 21 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 13 of 21 years) | Dec 8 | 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 KTIW (TACOMA NARROWS AP), daily data since 1999. Forecast: National Weather Service, SEW office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 1:26 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Tacoma questions
What is the soil temperature in Tacoma today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 47°F at 2 inches and 49°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 Tacoma? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Apr 13 to May 10 in Tacoma. For 2026 the window closed on May 3.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Tacoma? 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 Jun 27.
Is it too late to fertilize in Tacoma? Dormant since about Oct 25. 4-inch soil has stayed under 55°F since Oct 25, so warm-season grass is going brown. It is too late to fertilize; feed again after spring green-up, once soil holds 65°F (typically Jun 27).
When is the last frost in Tacoma? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Mar 14, and as late as Apr 5 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Nov 21.
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.