Free CINCH tool
Mole & gopher activity forecast
See how rain, soil moisture and soil temperature near you will affect moles and gophers over the next 14 days, and the best days to set traps.
- Local rain
- Soil moisture
- Soil temperature
- 14-day outlook
Checking rain and soil conditions…
Rain, soil moisture and activity
Last 7 days and the next 14. Hover or tap a day for details.
- Rain
- Topsoil moisture (vs. its usual range)
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Good day to set traps
- Faded: days 8 to 14, less certain
Peak season where you are
Months when digging and new mounds are most common in your region. This month is outlined.
This is a planning guide from your local weather and soil, not a count of animals. Moles and gophers can be trapped any time in active runs; a Low day means fresh signs are harder to find.
How we work this out
For your ZIP code we look at the last 30 days and the next 14 days of rain, soil moisture, soil temperature and snow, then rate each day for moles and for gophers.
- Moles come up when rain or watering softens the soil and draws earthworms, their main food, toward the surface. Frozen, dry or hot soil sends worms and moles deeper.
- Gophers dig hardest when the soil is moist and workable, especially after the first real rain that follows a dry spell, and after the ground thaws. Waterlogged, frozen or hot, dry soil slows them down.
- Season matters too. Spring and fall are the busy seasons in most of the country, while the Pacific Northwest and California peak in their wet season.
Soil moisture is compared with your own area's last 30 days, because sandy and clay soils hold very different amounts of water. The rules are based on university extension research (UC IPM, Purdue and USDA Wildlife Services, Oregon State, Washington Fish and Wildlife, Colorado State) and field studies of pocket gophers.
Questions
Are moles more active after rain?
Yes. Rain and watering soften the soil and bring earthworms near the surface, so moles push new surface runs soon after a soaking rain. In dry or frozen weather they stay in deeper tunnels.
Do gophers come out in winter?
Gophers stay active all year underground. Where the ground freezes they dig under the snow and leave soil cores behind when it melts. Fresh mounds pick up again when the ground thaws.
When is the best time to set traps?
When fresh mounds or runs are appearing, because that shows which tunnels are in use. Late winter and early spring are especially worthwhile: catching animals before the spring breeding season prevents the next generation.
How many traps do I need?
It depends on how many active runs you have. Our trap finder gives you a trap count and the right size in about a minute.
How accurate is this forecast?
It is a guide built from local weather and soil data and what research says moles and gophers do in those conditions. It cannot see your yard: watering, garden beds and soil type all make a difference. Days 8 to 14 rely on longer-range weather forecasts and are less certain.
Weather and soil data: Open-Meteo (ECMWF model). ZIP code locations: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).