Wilmington, North Carolina – Temperatures are dropping to the freezing mark overnight, putting crops and sensitive plants at immediate risk across parts of southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina.
According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, a Freeze Warning is in effect from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday for Pender, Bladen, and Robeson counties in North Carolina, along with Dillon, Marlboro, and Darlington counties in South Carolina. Inland areas including Lumberton and Elizabethtown are expected to fall to around 32 degrees, with some spots briefly dipping below freezing.
The greatest impacts will be felt in agricultural areas, where early-season crops like strawberries and blueberries are vulnerable to rapid damage. Patchy frost is also likely to develop where winds become calm, increasing the risk to unprotected vegetation.
Closer to the coast, including Wilmington, temperatures will stay milder in the mid-30s to near 40 degrees due to persistent northeast winds, limiting widespread frost but not eliminating isolated impacts.
Residents should cover or bring in sensitive plants, avoid overnight irrigation that could freeze, and protect outdoor plumbing where temperatures briefly hit freezing.
Conditions will improve quickly after 9 a.m. Sunday as temperatures rise, but additional cold snaps remain possible into early next week with further advisories possible.
