Frosty nights ahead for Minnesota
Cover any early plantings later this week into this weekend
OK, I’ll fess up. We’re one of those households that like to get a jump on the spring planting season in Minnesota.
Winters are long enough at this latitude. I know better than to tempt spring frosts in late April and even May. But I’m not one to follow the old adage of waiting until Memorial Day to plant annuals in southern Minnesota.
That’s still good advice up north, but we do keep our options open for covering up or moving pots inside for a couple of days if needed.
The average date for the last 32-degree temperature in the Twin Cities is April 25. By May 4 there’s a 90-percent chance historically for the last 32-degree temperature in the Twin Cities. You can check the average last spring frost dates around Minnesota here.
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But enough about our spring fever. If you too have jumped the gun a little you’ll need to protect those early flowers from a likely freeze as we move into the weekend.
Overnight lows will dip into the 20s north and low 30s south as soon as Friday morning.
The pattern repeats Friday night into Saturday morning.
We may be a few degrees less cold Sunday morning, but frost is still possible. By Monday it looks like we’ll stay above the freezing zone across most of Minnesota for at least a few days.
High temperatures this weekend will mainly be in the 40s far north to 50s across most of Minnesota. By Monday highs will return to the low 60s in southern Minnesota with 50s central and north.
Some forecast models suggest more 60s and possibly 70s by the weekend of April 27-28.
Stay tuned.