COLUMBUS — The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a freeze watch for central Ohio and large parts of the state, warning that temperatures could plunge into the lower 30s or even the upper 20s from Saturday night, Oct. 17, into Sunday morning, Oct. 18.
In central Ohio the watch covers Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties. Dozens of other Ohio counties are under the same watch, including Shelby, Logan, Miami, Champaign, Clark, Hocking, Ross and Adams.
The weather service said the frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. For home gardeners, the watch is the signal that tender plants still producing in mid-October — tomatoes, peppers and late flowers among them — are unlikely to survive the weekend unprotected.
The freeze arrives on the back of Friday’s cold front. Columbus spent Friday, Oct. 16, cloudy with showers likely, a high near 66 and west winds gusting to about 25 mph, with the chance of showers lingering into Friday night as temperatures fall to around 38.
Saturday, Oct. 17, turns sunny but much colder, with a high near 52 and a north wind of 10 to 15 mph. Skies clear Saturday night — the setup that lets temperatures fall fastest — and the Columbus low is forecast around 31, with areas of frost forming after 1 a.m. Outlying and low-lying areas away from the city are where the upper-20s readings are most possible.
Sunday, Oct. 18, starts with widespread frost before 9 a.m., then turns sunny with a high near 59. Sunday night stays clear with a low around 36, so the hardest freeze of the weekend is expected to be the single Saturday-night event.
Residents with plants they want to save should cover tender vegetation with fabric — not plastic — before sunset on Saturday, bring potted plants indoors where possible, and water soil ahead of the freeze, since moist ground holds heat better than dry ground. Anyone who has already shut down outdoor watering for the season should make sure hoses are drained, because a hard freeze can split lines and damage outdoor faucets.
A freeze this deep would effectively end the growing season across central Ohio. If the watch is upgraded to a freeze warning on Saturday, that will mean the cold is considered imminent or already occurring, and gardeners will have only Saturday’s daylight hours to get ready.
