Tri-Cities, the First Frost Could be Upon us. Time to Pick that Garden.
We could be seeing our first frost of the season come Wednesday morning. Many low-lying locations east of the Cascades are expected to see temperature drop into the mid-20's to low-30's Wednesday night into Thursday morning and that could spell doom for what remains in your garden.
"A low of around 32 degrees will certainly cause some frost and freeze issues with plants. But we're looking at getting temperatures into the mid to upper 20's and that's when you have a better chance of experiencing problems." says National Weather Service Meteorologist Greg Koch.
In particular, your tomatoes must be harvested before the frost for health and safety concerns. However, heirloom tomatoes can be left for reseeding next spring. Though your cucumbers, zucchini and other such veggies can lose quality and freshness because of frost, as well.
Though if you live in a more rural area, you could see a harder freeze.
"Outlying areas and areas further into the basin have the potential to be significantly cooler with a higher chance of a hard freeze." he adds.
Beyond the threat of a hard frost and the end of this season's garden (for the most part), a strong storm system could also bring plenty of cold rain and mountain snow along with gusty winds throughout the region on Friday and Saturday. A welcome sight for drought conditions, but just in time to put a damper on your weekend plans. It looks to be a good weekend for gaming, though; both video and table top.
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Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff