With unseasonably cold air pushing south and east, the National Weather Service is also expanding where Frost and Freeze related advisories are issued. Freeze Warnings are up across portions of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia while Frost Advisories are up for portions of Tennessee , Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
The area north of these frost and freeze advisories are also likely to see frost and freeze conditions, but because the growing season has not yet started there, the National Weather Service hasn’t issued any advisories there.
Typically, frost can occur when the temperature falls below 36°F, especially in rural areas. It is a localized phenomena and can be quite variable across a small area. While the National Weather Service does not keep track of “frost” in observations per se, they do keep track of when temperatures hit the freezing mark or fall below. Frost becomes more widespread when the temperature falls below 32°F with some freeze possible. A hard freeze is possible when temperatures fall below 28°F.
In a Freeze Warning, frost and freeze conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.
In a Frost Advisory, frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered.
When a Watch is issued, it is possible warning criteria could be met and a warning could eventually be issued.
The National Weather Service wants people in the impacted areas to take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. “To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
