This is a cruel trick Mother Nature is playing on us. We’ve reverted to our winter ways just as we’re entering April. Colder air will continue to settle in tonight. There will be ideal conditions for radiational cooling as well. Skies will be clear and wind will relax as the center of high pressure moves directly overhead. Temperatures will drop into the 20s. A hard freeze (temperatures at or below 28°) is expected. The stupid cold won’t just cause you to mumble under your breath in the morning, but it could also damage tender plants.
A Freeze Warning will be in effect through mid-morning Monday. A Freeze Warning means that sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely. These conditions will kill, or at the very least harm, crops and other sensitive plants and vegetation.
You’ll notice that not everyone is included in the warning, but a hard freeze is expected area-wide. Why? Temperatures this cold will cause damage to new plants and crops. The University of Kentucky Department of Agriculture reports that peaches, cherries, and strawberries are starting to bloom. This is a sign that the growing season has already started in parts of the area. The counties in the warning area have seen crops progress enough to be damaged. Meanwhile north of I-64, less mature vegetation that would be impacted by the freezing temperatures.
We say wait until Derby Day, or even Mother’s Day some years, to plant your annuals. Lexington’s average last hard freeze (temperatures 28° or colder) occurs on April 2nd. Mid-April brings the final freeze and the last frost typically occurs in late April.
