The first chance of frost and freeze is upon the Wichita area, and just about on schedule.
The low is forecast to fall to 35 tonight in Wichita. The winds are not expected to die down but, they if do, even for a couple of hours, it would result in frost, said meteorologist Scott Smith of the National Weather Service in Wichita.
(Clear skies are the other ingredient for frost, which can occur once the temperature drops to 36 or below.)
The temperature is forecast to hit the freezing point, 32, on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Smith said.
"There is a chance you could see areas of frost that could damage sensitive outdoor vegetation," he said.
The Sedgwick County Zoo will be accepting donations of tropical plants this weekend, and it advises moving tender plants into the garage or under a roof or throwing a cotton sheet over them until they can be brought indoors. Similarly, tender plants that are in the ground whose flowers show you'd like to prolong can be covered with a light cloth.
The zoo will accept donations of tropical plants, succulents and perennials in containers that are 12 inches or larger on Saturday and Sunday. If you are not able to deliver a plant yourself, you can call the zoo to arrange for a pick-up. Call 316-266-8313.
Tomatoes that are still on the vine can be picked. Green tomatoes that have a white flush in the form of a star on the stem end will ripen off the vine.
Ward Upham, a horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension, advises separating tomatoes into three groups for storage: those that are mostly red, those that are just starting to turn, and those that are still green.
Throw away tomatoes that have any rotten spots or broken skin. Put the rest of the tomatoes on cardboard trays or cartons and, if you stack the tomatoes, use layers of newspaper in between in case any of the tomatoes start to rot and leak juice. Store groups of tomatoes at as close to 55 degrees as possible until needed, Upham said.
The average date of the first frost in Wichita is Oct. 16, and the first freeze Oct. 26, Smith said.
The cold snap is not expected to last. Daytime temperatures are expected to rise back into the 70s by Sunday, Smith said.
"It will warm up until the next (cold) system moves through."
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