Freeze warnings issued by the National Weather Service cover portions of eight states from Michigan to Maine this morning, with overnight lows as cold as 26°F threatening crops, sensitive vegetation, and exposed outdoor plumbing across a corridor stretching from the upper Midwest to New England.
Fourteen active alerts affect areas in Washington, D.C., Maine, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia. All warnings are set to expire by 8 AM EDT.
The coldest conditions are concentrated in northern Lower Michigan, where the National Weather Service forecast sub-freezing temperatures between 26 and 31°F across a broad zone that includes Clare, Isabella, Mecosta, Osceola, Lake, and Mason counties. In portions of central Michigan, readings as low as 28°F were forecast — temperatures forecasters said could kill crops, damage sensitive vegetation, and harm unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Farther east, freeze conditions extend into northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania. Inland Ashtabula, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties in Ohio, along with Crawford and southern Erie counties in Pennsylvania, were forecast to see temperatures fall into the lower 30s. The Erie weather area is among those under an active warning through the morning hours.
Vermont’s warning zone spans a significant swath of the state, covering Lamoille, Washington, Orange, Rutland, Franklin, Chittenden, Addison, and Windsor counties. New York’s alerts reach across a particularly wide footprint — from Northern St. Lawrence and Franklin counties near the Canadian border south through the Mohawk Valley and into the Southern Tier, with warnings covering Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, Broome, Delaware, Tioga, Otsego, Chenango, Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties, among others. Western New York’s Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties are also included, placing the greater Buffalo weather region squarely within the freeze zone.
The National Weather Service also issued active freeze warnings for portions of Washington, D.C., Maine, and West Virginia as part of the same multi-state event.
The breadth of the pattern — 14 warnings covering portions of eight states simultaneously — reflects a late-season cold intrusion arriving as spring planting is underway across much of the region. Farmers and gardeners in affected areas face a narrow window to protect tender plants before temperatures bottom out. The National Weather Service advised all residents in warned areas to take protective action before sunrise, with conditions expected to moderate as temperatures climb back above freezing through the late morning.