COLUMBIA, S.C. — A frost advisory has been issued for Saluda, Newberry, and Fairfield counties as we're expected to see the coldest temperatures of the season so far over the weekend.
The advisory is in effect from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday morning.
The cold front that triggered storms in the area Thursday has also brought with it cooler air. Temperatures will dip well into the 30s across much of the region, possibly even as low as the mid-30s. We'll also have a chance of frosty weather Monday.
Highs for the weekend and Monday will be in the low to mid 60s.
If you have tender plants, they could be in jeopardy, but there is a way to keep them green for weeks (or months) to come!
Frost cloths extend the growing season, sometimes by several weeks. It's important to know how frost cloths work because otherwise you may do more harm than good for your plants.
Protective fabrics don't protect plants by keeping frost off the leaves. Frost is just a symptom of the real issue at hand - freezing temperatures. Freezing temperatures can burst the cells of tender plants. Frost cloths help keep plants from ever reaching temperatures below freezing by trapping heat in.
Frost cloths are more effective on calm nights than breezy nights. Cold, calm nights with clear skies usually drop in temperature fast because of rapid heat loss due to "radiational cooling". In other words, heat is radiated off the ground and into the atmosphere. Cold pockets quickly develop over grassy surfaces and low lying areas in these conditions. Frost cloths are less effective on breezy nights, but can still protect plants from wind burn and keep them a few degrees warmer.
While morning low temperatures are not expected to drop below freezing, the record won't show the pockets of freezing temperatures that develop in those cooler pockets closer to the ground. Temperatures are officially recorded 5.5 feet above ground level. Frost may develop on the grass, car, or roof these next few mornings, which means those surfaces reached below freezing.