CLEVELAND, Ohio – A cold dome of high pressure will deliver a widespread fall frost and pockets of hard freeze across the northern U.S. Overnight Tonight, midnight until 9AM Friday (as early as 8PM in northern VT; as late as 2AM until 9AM Friday in the Mid-Atlantic valleys). The chill targets the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, interior Northeast, and higher Appalachians, threatening late-season gardens and unprotected pipes.
According to multiple National Weather Service offices — including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, State College, Binghamton, Albany, Burlington, Mount Holly, New York (Upton), Boston/Norton, Detroit/Pontiac, Grand Rapids, Northern Indiana, Wilmington (OH), Charleston (WV), Blacksburg, and Baltimore/Washington — Frost Advisories and Freeze Warnings stretch from Michigan and Indiana through Ohio and Pennsylvania into Upstate New York, interior New England, and the central Appalachians. Lows will bottom out upper 20s to mid-30s, coldest in sheltered valleys and rural flats.
Impacts include crop/plant damage and possible issues with exposed outdoor plumbing. Officials urge residents to cover or bring in tender plants, shut off and drain hoses and irrigation lines, wrap exterior pipes, and bring pets indoors. Early commuters should plan for frosted windshields and slick rural bridges, especially along I-75, I-80, I-81, I-90, I-95, U.S. 322, and Taconic/Route 7 corridors.
The cold relaxes after sunrise Friday with sunny, crisp afternoons returning. A gradual warmup arrives this weekend, though another chilly push early next week could produce renewed patchy frost inland. Along the NJ Pine Barrens, a High Wind Watch for Sunday could follow this cold snap, with the potential for tree damage and outages if it verifies — secure loose outdoor items ahead of time.
