Will tonight’s frigid temperatures mark Wichita’s first hard freeze? What forecasters say
A cold snap could bring subfreezing temperatures to parts of south-central Kansas Wednesday night, putting sensitive plants and crops at risk, Wichita meteorologists say.
But it’s not expected to be the season’s first hard freeze.
An advisory put out Wednesday morning said temperatures will reach as low as 30 degrees overnight. National Weather Service Wichita Meteorologist Chris Jakub said they like to see temperatures reach and remain in the mid- to upper 20s before labeling frigid temperatures as a hard freeze.
“This could still cause some harm to sensitive vegetation,” Jakub said. “But it’s one of the events where it’s just looking like we’re going to kind of get right down and touch it (that threshold) and then just go right back up. So it’s not that really typical hard freeze that we would see.”
The time of year for a hard freeze, though, Jakub said, is just right. Wichita’s first freeze usually falls between Oct. 20 and Nov. 4. But that doesn’t mean it will come when predicted. The earliest hard freeze in Wichita history was on Sept. 22, 1995. The latest freeze, conversely, in Wichita history didn’t get around to chilling Sedgwick County until Nov. 21, 1944.
“We’re right around normal, maybe a few days past our normal first freeze,” Jakub said.
Tonight’s freeze, Jakub said, will be more on the mild side. He and the National Weather Service suggested residents of Wichita and surrounding areas — like Bel Aire, Hutchinson, and Park City — bring in sensitive plants. The predicted temperatures tonight may also mean the end of the growing season for some locations.
The weather service also said freeze conditions could possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. Jakub said, though, that with no freezing rain, there should not be issues or damages associated with power lines.
The freeze watch is set to expire at 10 a.m. Thursday. Additional watches, warnings, advisories and information on Wichita-area weather can be found on the National Weather Service website.
