First frost of the season is here

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - In the Miami Valley temperatures have dropped below 32 degrees as early as September 21 but the first frost is usually much later, occurring during the last few weeks of October. (See graphic).

This year our forecast for our first frost is Thursday morning.  This however may seem strange if you watched our newscast, the forecasted low temperature was "only" in the upper 30s. Hhere is the reason why:

Most of the recording equipment we use for official data is placed roughly 5 feet above the ground, about the height of an average human. Since frost events are usually a product of radiational cooling, or heat escaping into space, The ground can be 4-6 degrees colder then our temperature gauges indicate.

On a night like tonight, that means frost. So if you would like to save those fall decorations you just bought here are some things you can do.

First cover any flowering plants or vegetables. Make sure to use cloth rather then plastic.

Next, make sure you have a good mulch base around your plants. It helps to protect the roots.

And if you happen to have any pumpkins or other decorative gourds outside. They should be fine. A light frost will not impact the hard skinned vegetables.

Also remember that if you are covering your plants with a tarp tonight to remove it early in the morning. A plastic tarp can act like a green house causing temperatures to soar in direct sunlight, killing the plant.