Freeze Warnings issued by the National Weather Service now span 12 states — Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and West Virginia — with 20 active alerts in effect as sub-freezing temperatures push into agricultural areas across the Midwest and Great Plains.
The coverage marks a geographic expansion from yesterday’s alerts, which tracked across nine states. Iowa and Nebraska are newly prominent in today’s warnings, with temperatures as low as 30°F forecast across portions of northern and north-central Iowa and readings between 27°F and 32°F — accompanied by widespread frost — in Nebraska’s Greeley, Howard, Merrick, Nance, Sherman, Valley, Polk, Buffalo, Dawson, and Gosper counties.
In Michigan, the warning extends across a large portion of the northern Lower Peninsula, where interior areas are expected to see temperatures in the low 30s and low-lying spots may fall into the upper 20s. Lakeshore areas may remain above freezing. Affected counties include Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Antrim, Otsego, Alpena, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Wexford, Roscommon, and more than a dozen others. Most Michigan alerts expire at 9 AM EDT.
Iowa warnings are set to lift at 8 AM CDT, as are those covering the Nebraska counties. Affected Iowa counties include Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Palo Alto, Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Pocahontas, Humboldt, Wright, Franklin, Butler, and others across the northern tier of the state.
The primary concern across all warned areas is agricultural damage. The National Weather Service warns that frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation and may damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. Residents are advised to protect tender plants and to wrap, drain, or allow outdoor pipes to drip slowly to prevent freezing.
The alerts also extend into portions of Indiana — including Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, and Allen counties — and into northwestern Ohio, covering Defiance, Paulding, and Van Wert counties, underscoring how broadly the cold air mass has settled across the Great Lakes and upper Plains regions.
For localized conditions in areas touched by this pattern, see the Cleveland weather and Des Moines weather forecasts.
Most warnings are expected to expire by mid-morning as temperatures recover, but growers and residents across the warned zones should take protective action before dawn.