Conditions, history, and source details
80
Soil Temps location estimate. The nearest of 337 active USDA and NOAA in-ground stations (Williams 35 NNW, 122 mi away) is too far to represent local soil, so Soil Temps publishes a daily estimate for these coordinates instead.
Planning the year
See Payson scheduleFertilizer
A foliar iron spray darkens the lawn's color without forcing the leaf growth a nitrogen feeding would, which is exactly what summer-stressed turf needs. Iron is taken up directly through the leaves, so results show in days rather than weeks. Shallow soil temperatures are in the action band at 80°F at 2 inches from the modeled estimate.
Source: Modeled soil-temperature estimate
Pest Watch
White grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June bugs, and similar species, and they feed on grass roots through summer. Catching the first generation in early summer, before significant root damage, makes preventive insecticide much more effective than rescue treatments. Shallow soil temperatures are in the action band at 80°F at 2 inches from the modeled estimate.
Source: Modeled soil-temperature estimate
Lawn Care
Raising the mower height to 3.5-4 inches in summer shades the soil, slows evaporation, and lets cool-season grass keep deeper roots through heat stress. Cutting short during summer is the single fastest way to brown out tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Shallow soil temperatures are in the action band at 80°F at 2 inches from the modeled estimate.
Source: Modeled soil-temperature estimate
Depth: 2" • 28 days of data • Modeled estimate
Williams 35 NNW (Site USCRN-53155), AZ
Estimated Soil Temperatures
| Date | 2" °F | Δ 2" | 8" °F | 20" °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19 | 80.2 | -0.2 | 79.2 | 75.8 |
| Aug 18 | 80.4 | +0.1 | 79.0 | 75.4 |
| Aug 17 | 80.3 | +1.4 | 78.5 | 75.0 |
| Aug 16 | 78.9 | +3.3 | 77.0 | 74.7 |
| Aug 15 | 75.6 | +2.0 | 74.6 | 74.8 |
| Aug 14 | 73.6 | -0.5 | 74.3 | 75.5 |
| Aug 13 | 74.1 | — | 75.3 | 76.3 |
Soil temperature by depth
These soil temperatures are Soil Temps location estimates, updated daily. The nearest of 337active USDA and NOAA in-ground stations is too far away to represent this location’s soil.
Zone 8B
October 24
4,500 ft
Cool-season core
Ideal conditions for cool-season grass. As of August 19, the 2-inch soil temperature is running 3°F above the 10-year normal for this date. The fall seeding window is open now. Cool-season seed should establish reliably at current soil temperatures. With an average first frost of October 24 and an elevation of 4,500 feet, your fall seeding window timing is shaped by both soil temperature trends and frost risk. Zone 8b soils rarely stay below the 55°F pre-emergent threshold for long, so monitoring for early crabgrass flush is critical. A current federal soil-station reading was unavailable, so values here are modeled estimates. Use them as a directional guide.
For established lawns and gardens, the 4 inch soil temperature is a more useful reading than the surface. This 4-inch root-zone depth changes more slowly than the 2-inch surface layer, so it is a steadier signal for timing fertilizer, aeration, and weed control. The depths your nearest station reports are shown above; stations in the federal network typically report 2, 4, 8, 20, and 40 inches, while modeled estimates for areas far from a station cover fewer depths.
This week’s watering for Payson, AZ
Ease off: about 1.3 inches tops off what the rain will leave short
| Weekly target | 1.5 in | at 80°F soil, for cool-season grass |
|---|---|---|
| Expected rain | 0.2 in | over the next 7 days |
| You supply | 1.3 in | in 2 deep sessions, watered 4-9 AM |
The weekly target includes rainfall, so irrigation only covers the deficit. Water deeply and infrequently rather than a little every day: shallow daily watering builds shallow roots and invites disease. Rainfall is a modeled forecast estimate for this location.
How to water by soil temperature, and audit your sprinklers →
Lawn disease risk
The 7-day forecast near Payson, AZ favors active disease pressure. These diseases are the ones to watch now. Based on a modeled weather estimate for this location.
| Disease | Risk | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| Pythium blight (Pythium spp.) | Favorable | 7 of the next 7 nights stay above 65°F with hot days; worse with excess nitrogen. Water early morning to limit leaf wetness, hold nitrogen to 0.25 lb/1,000 sq ft, and fix drainage in low spots. The fastest killer, 2-3 days. |
| Brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) | Watch | 3 of the next 7 nights stay above 68°F with hot days; worse with excess nitrogen. Water only 4-8 AM so blades dry by evening, ease off quick-release nitrogen, and improve airflow. |
How temperature drives lawn disease, and the cultural fixes →
Soil temperature readings on this page cover 2 ZIP codes in Payson, AZ:
85541, 85547
Know when to seed, fertilize, and stop crabgrass at your address, timed by live local soil temperature instead of the calendar.
Check the current soil temp at your location, or open the live US soil temperature mapto see today’s ground readings from 380+ USDA and NOAA stations across the country. Enter your city or ZIP code for live soil temperatures near you, plus planting windows, pre-emergent timing, fertilizer guidance, and disease watch alerts for your area.
Readings refresh nightly from the USDA-NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network and the NOAA US Climate Reference Network (USCRN). Where a current suitable station reading is unavailable, readings are modeled estimates rather than direct sensor measurements; see how we measure. Planting windows are derived from multi-year climatology, overlaid with NOAA 1991–2020 frost normals where a station is close enough to support a local frost date. Recommendation cards evaluate current soil conditions against research-backed thresholds from university extension sources. Check back regularly as conditions change. The guidance updates with every new reading.
Data sources: USDA-NRCS SCAN network, NOAA USCRN, NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, and localized frost climatology via Soil Temps analytics.
Browse soil temperature data by state, over 2,000 cities with current readings, hardiness zones, and planting windows.
Explore the US Soil Temperature Map for a live station view of readings across the country.
Current soil temperature: 80°F at the 2-inch depth, 2.7°F above the historical average for this date. Modeled estimate for August 19, 2026; a current monitoring-station reading was unavailable. Rising 6.1°F over the last 7 days.
Current conditions in Payson, AZ
80°F
2-inch depth
A foliar iron spray darkens the lawn's color without forcing the leaf growth a nitrogen feeding would, which is exactly what summer-stressed turf needs. Iron is taken up directly through the leaves, so results show in days rather than weeks. Shallow soil temperatures are in the action band at 80°F at 2 inches from the modeled estimate.
View detailsExpected rain covers part of the weekly target. Irrigation only needs to make up the remaining deficit.
View details7 of the next 7 nights stay above 65°F with hot days. This is a conditions indicator, not a diagnosis or prediction.
View detailsAir and rain
Weather context
For warm-season grasses, yes. The 2-inch soil temperature near Payson, AZ is currently 80.2°F, a Soil Temps location estimate for these coordinates; the nearest in-ground station (Williams 35 NNW) is 122 miles away. That is at or above the 65°F threshold where Bermuda and zoysia establish, and above the 50–65°F cool-season band, so hold cool-season seeding until soil cools back through 65°F.
Soil temperature outside the germination band is the most common cause. The 2-inch soil temperature near Payson, AZ is currently 80.2°F, a Soil Temps location estimate for these coordinates; the nearest in-ground station (Williams 35 NNW) is 122 miles away. Cool-season seed germinates at 50–65°F and warm-season seed at 65°F or higher; outside those bands seed sits dormant rather than sprouting. If the temperature is right, the usual culprits are seed buried too deep, topsoil that dried out during the sprout window, or a pre-emergent herbicide applied the same season, which blocks grass seed the same way it blocks weeds.
Cool-season grasses like fescue and bluegrass germinate best when soil at 2 inches stays between 50–65°F for several consecutive days. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda and Zoysia need soil temperatures of 65°F or higher before seeding. If you are seeding, a high-phosphorus starter fertilizer goes down in the same window; regular established-lawn fertilizer follows different timing.
Apply pre-emergent herbicide, the product sold at retail as crabgrass preventer, when soil at 2 inches reaches 55°F for several consecutive days. This is the threshold where crabgrass and other summer annual weeds begin germinating, and applying after that point reduces effectiveness significantly. Weed-and-feed products that include a pre-emergent follow the same window. The pre-emergent timing page for Payson tracks this threshold against the current reading.
Payson, AZ is in USDA hardiness zone 8b. Cool-season grasses (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass) are built for winters here and stay alive under frost and snow. Warm-season grasses risk winterkill in this zone: Bermuda and zoysia come through mild winters but thin or die back in hard ones.
Use 2 inches for germination decisions, since that is where seeds sit. Use the 4 inch soil temperature for established lawn and garden timing: it reads the root zone, changes more slowly than the surface, and is the depth most fertilizer, aeration, and disease guidance references. The 8 inch reading shows deeper root-zone trend. The 20 and 40 inch readings track deep soil and frost depth where federal stations report them.
Soil changes temperature much more slowly than air due to thermal mass. A warm afternoon does not mean the ground is warm. Soil temperature lags air temperature by days or weeks, making it a more reliable indicator of when biological processes like germination actually begin.
It is a Soil Temps location estimate, updated daily and labeled as such. The 2-inch soil temperature near Payson, AZ is currently 80.2°F, a Soil Temps location estimate for these coordinates; the nearest in-ground station (Williams 35 NNW) is 122 miles away. Soil Temps publishes an estimate when the nearest of 337 active USDA and NOAA in-ground monitoring stations is too far away to represent local soil, instead of presenting a faraway station's reading as local truth.
Grass seed germination
Your soil near Payson, AZ: 80°F at 2 inches, as of August 19, 2026. Soil Temps location estimate.
| Grass species | Seeding soil temp (2 in) | Days | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | 60–70°F | 14-30 | Too warm to establish |
| Tall fescue | 60–70°F | 7-12 | Too warm to establish |
| Perennial ryegrass | 60–70°F | 5-10 | Too warm to establish |
| Fine fescue | 60–70°F | 7-14 | Too warm to establish |
| Bermudagrass | 75–90°F | 10-30 | Germinates well |