CLEVELAND — What. A. Change. It was just 85 degrees on Monday, and now most of Northeast Ohio will have to dust off their scrapers Friday morning.
A Frost Advisory has been *expanded* to include most of Northeast Ohio away from the lakefront. Areas south of I-90 will likely dip into the 30s, and areas south of I-80 will dip to 36 degrees or below, the threshold for frost to appear. This will be in effect from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday night/Friday morning.
Another upgrade is for interior Ashtabula County, where a Freeze Warning has been issued for the same timeframe. Low temperatures south of I-90 may dip to the freezing mark, 32 degrees.
Frost can harm sensitive outdoor vegetation, especially when temperatures drop below 36 degrees, so be sure to move any sensitive plants indoors. The frost could kill those plants if left uncovered. This is especially true for areas under the Freeze Warning, where it will undoubtedly affect unprotected sensitive plants.
The perfect recipe is in place tonight, weather-wise, to produce frost and freeze. The cold north wind of the last few days will subside, and no wind is expected tonight. No wind plus a clear sky will allow the temperatures to plummet. Those two ingredients together efficiently allow the maximum amount of heat to escape into the atmosphere. This is a change from last night, where there was a light north wind with occasional 15-20 mph gusts and a few clouds.
With warm air replaced by cold air and frost just a few days ago, it could come as a bit of a shock. Despite that, this is pretty normal for this time of year. The typical first frost happens across Northeast Ohio during early to mid-October. The exact date depends on each town's location.
For example, the lakeshore typically stays warmer overnight during the fall due to the influence of the mild water temperatures in Lake Erie, while it is cooler inland. This means the first frost happens later in Cleveland, usually around mid-October. Meanwhile, the first frost typically occurs in early October for communities away from the lakeshore.
Average First Frost (36°F)
- Akron-Canton, Oct. 8
- Cleveland, Oct. 14
- Erie, Oct. 19
- Mansfield, Oct. 2
- Toledo, Oct. 6
- Youngstown, Oct. 1
If you are interested, here is additional data regarding the average first freeze, the earliest frost ever, and the earliest freeze ever:
Average First Freeze (32°F)
- Akron-Canton, Oct. 19
- Cleveland, Oct. 28
- Erie, Nov. 1
- Mansfield, Oct. 14
- Toledo, Oct. 17
- Youngstown, Oct. 14
Earliest Frost
- Akron-Canton, Sept. 14 (1902)
- Cleveland, Sept. 21 (1973)
- Erie, Sept. 17 (1959)
- Mansfield, Aug. 27 (1946)
- Toledo, Aug. 29 (1982)
- Youngstown, Aug. 29 (1982)
Earliest Freeze
- Akron-Canton, Sept. 21 (1956)
- Cleveland, Sept. 29 (1942)
- Erie, Oct. 3 (1974)
- Mansfield, Aug. 30 (1946)
- Toledo, Sept. 14 (1975)
- Youngstown, Aug. 29 (1982)
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