Freeze warnings are in place for four states in the Eastern U.S., with meteorologists warning that temperatures could drop as much as 30 degrees overnight in some of the affected areas.
On Thursday afternoon, several National Weather Service offices issued freeze warnings for Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. NWS meteorologists are warning that subfreezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit could “kill crops and other sensitive vegetation” overnight on Thursday.
“Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold,” one of the freeze warnings said.
Most of the forecast areas expecting subfreezing temperatures overnight had daytime temperatures ranging from the high 50s to the lower 70s.
“High pressure will remain in control to bring sunny skies. High temperatures this afternoon should vary from the upper 50s to the lower 70s,” NWS Blacksburg posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Areas of frost are possible for parts of the mountains by Friday morning with freezing temperatures expected in Greenbrier County.”
The freeze warnings were issued by the following NWS offices: Pittsburgh; Blacksburg, Virginia; Baltimore; Charleston, West Virginia; and State College, Pennsylvania.
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“A cold night ahead with Frost Advisories & Freeze Warnings along & west of the Blue Ridge late tonight-Friday AM,” the NWS office in Baltimore posted on X.
“Lows will fall into the mid to upper 30s & low 40s under clear skies… Sheltered valley locations will be a touch cooler with mid to upper 20s & low 30s expected,” the office said.
NWS meteorologist Ben Gruver told Newsweek that temperature fluctuations are common for this time of year.
“This is the time of year we usually do see those fluctuations where we warm quite a bit during the day,” he said. “And then at night, with clear skies and calm winds, we lose all that daytime heating and therefore we cool very easily at night.”
Gruver said this is the first freeze warning for this fall in West Virginia’s Greenbrier County.
He added that temperatures are expected to warm up over the weekend.
“And then we cool back down with another front on Tuesday and Wednesday next week,” he said. “We will probably have another round of frost and freeze by middle of next week too.”
Even more states are under frost warnings, including West Virginia, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Frost forms when temperatures are cold enough to freeze dew into ice. Temperatures must be at 32 degrees or below, but frost can still crystallize even if outside temperatures are above freezing because temperatures can be as much as 10 degrees colder close to the ground.
