National Weather Service meteorologists issued two weather alerts across six states on Friday morning as temperatures plunged to sub-freezing numbers.
By 8 a.m. local time, the air had warmed enough to revoke the warnings, but NWS meteorologist Michelle Schuldt told Newsweek that the warnings could be implemented across the same area again Friday night and Saturday night, given temperature forecasts.
In the early hours of Friday morning, a freeze warning was issued for Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. A frost advisory was also issued for several of those states, in addition to Missouri.
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Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 29 degrees in Iowa and 30 degrees in the other states threatened to damage crops.
"Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing," the NWS office in Hastings, Nebraska, warned. "Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent outdoor water pipes or hoses from freezing; wrap or drain or allow them to drip slowly."
Schuldt told Newsweek that freeze warnings are issued when temperatures reach 32 degrees or below, especially if they get down to 28 degrees.
"We are issuing [freeze warnings] to alert people who already planted things or to drain their watering hoses and take proper precautions," she said.
No warnings are in place for Friday night yet, but Schuldt expects that to change as the day progresses. She said freeze and frost advisories are normal in the Plains states for this time of year, and that they can occur as late as early May.
Frost can occur even if temperatures don't dip down to freezing, which prompted the frost advisory. In Missouri, temperatures were expected to dip as low as 34 degrees, which could cause frost to form.
"Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered," the warning said.
A freeze warning also was issued by the NWS office in Pendleton, Oregon.
"Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 29-32 degrees for cold-prone locations," the warning said.
There were limited weather warnings elsewhere in the nation on Friday, making for a quiet morning. A winter weather advisory was implemented for a small portion of northern Colorado, and a red flag warning was present for the southern part of the state. Some flood advisories were in place along the East Coast and in the Gulf Coast states, and dense fog posed risks in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Alabama also faced a threat from severe thunderstorms. High wind plagued parts of Montana.
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Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
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