Pittsburgh, Pa. – A widespread Frost Advisory has been issued from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday, followed by a Freeze Watch from late Thursday night through Friday morning, as the first major fall chill spreads across western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Overnight lows will dip to near 32 degrees in many areas, with mid to upper 20s possible in higher elevations by Friday morning.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, frost will form late Wednesday night under clear skies and light winds, impacting communities across Mercer, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Indiana, Armstrong, and Westmoreland counties, as well as the ridges of Preston and Tucker counties in West Virginia. The coldest readings will occur in sheltered valleys and rural areas of the Laurel Highlands and Upper Mon Valley.
Residents should cover or bring indoors sensitive plants and insulate outdoor plumbing before temperatures drop. Farmers and gardeners should prepare for the end of the growing season as a hard freeze appears likely in portions of western Pennsylvania by early Friday.
Motorists traveling along I-79, I-80, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Thursday may encounter frost on windshields and bridges. Skies will remain mostly sunny through the day, but highs will stay in the 50s, keeping a cool autumn feel through the end of the week.
A gradual warming trend is expected this weekend, though clear nights will continue to support patchy frost in rural valleys.
