The National Weather Service has issued 20 active Freeze Warnings spanning nine states — Colorado, Washington D.C., Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin, and West Virginia — with temperatures expected to fall as low as 25°F in some areas before the warnings expire this morning.
The alerts cover a broad swath of the country, from the Appalachian highlands of Virginia and West Virginia to the high desert plains of southern Idaho and across dozens of counties in Michigan and Wisconsin. The geographic spread underscores a cold air mass pressing down across multiple regions simultaneously, not a localized frost event.
Where It’s Coldest
The most severe readings are forecast for central Michigan, where Clare, Osceola, and Lake Counties face sub-freezing temperatures as low as 25°F under an active Freeze Warning, with a Freeze Watch already posted for late tonight through Saturday morning, when lows could reach 24°F. That back-to-back setup gives growers little recovery time between cold events.
In Idaho, the Arco/Mud Lake Desert, Lower Snake River Plain, and Upper Snake River Plain are under warnings for lows as low as 28°F. The National Weather Service notes that urban areas around Idaho Falls and Pocatello will likely remain near or just above freezing — a reminder that official county-wide alerts can mask meaningful local variation.
Along the Virginia-West Virginia border, Western Highland, Western Grant, and Western Pendleton Counties are under a Freeze Warning for temperatures as low as 32°F, expiring at 8 AM EDT.
Scope Across the Midwest
Wisconsin’s alert footprint is particularly wide, covering more than a dozen counties including La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Portage, Richland, Vernon, and Wood, among others. In Michigan, the warning extends across the northern Lower Peninsula, reaching Emmet, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Alpena, Iosco, and Roscommon Counties, among others.
For Detroit weather and Milwaukee weather, urban heat island effects may keep city-center temperatures above the freeze threshold, but surrounding rural and suburban areas face genuine frost risk.
Impacts
The National Weather Service warns that frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation and may damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. Gardeners and agricultural operators across all affected areas are advised to take protective measures before temperatures bottom out this morning.
Check local NWS forecasts for expiration times, which vary by zone — some warnings lift by 8 AM local time, others by 9 AM.