WGNO

Time to protect your plants; first freeze arrives next week

NEW ORLEANS – Thanksgiving hasn’t even arrived but Mother Nature might give us our first real taste of winter next week as freezing temperatures are set to arrive along the Gulf Coast.

After the cold front moves through Friday night into the weekend, colder air is set to arrive. But it’s the NEXT front that will push through Tuesday with a reinforcing shot of cold air that stands to send temperatures plummeting to the freezing mark and below for most folks. Take a look at the GFS (American) model below and you’ll see it isn’t just us in the Southern U.S. affected by the cold air, but almost the entire continental United States and most of northern and central Mexico!

While it’s too early to narrow it down to the exact degree for morning lows, it’s looking increasingly likely that the North Shore will see their first freeze of the year with temperatures north of Lake Pontchartrain forecast to be in the 20s Wednesday morning. It’s entirely possible that this freeze could be a ‘hard freeze’ with temperatures in the 20s for several hours just before sunrise. With sub-freezing temperatures on the way, go ahead and start preparing your plants, crops, and weather sensitive needs before the cold air arrives. The South Shore won’t be quite as cold but a frost is still possible Wednesday morning with temperatures in the middle 30s.

Your 7-day forecast shows that by Friday, while the chilly temperatures stick around, it’ll be above freezing and a frost or freeze is unlikely heading into next weekend.