CHICAGO — Bad news, early bird gardeners.
A potentially garden-killing frost will settle on the Chicago area on Tuesday night.
The frost should form in areas away from the lakefront, said Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Frosts can be deadly for plants, especially ones that are just germinating or like warmer weather, like tomatoes and peppers.
The frost shouldn't affect neighborhoods along the lakefront and Downtown, which will see warmer temperatures overnight, Castro said, but people in other areas might want to look out for any plants they'd want to protect.
"Anybody that's worried about their [plants], it's not a bad idea bringing them indoors tonight," Castro said.
Plants can be protected by bringing them indoors or covering them with blankets, glass jars, milk jugs, buckets, pillow cases, straw or other material, according to the University of Illinois extension office. The plants should be covered in the afternoon before temperatures fall, and the edges of the plant covers should be weighed down to keep them from blowing away.
The plant covers should be removed the morning after a frost.
Frost Advisory has been issued for tonight across portions of northern Illinois. pic.twitter.com/k8dBaXM5pD
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 2, 2017
The National Weather Service expects to see temperatures dip to the low 40s around the lakefront, but neighborhoods away from there could fall to the upper 30s.
It'll be even chillier in the suburbs: Parts to the northwest of Cook County could see temperatures fall to the low 30s, Castro said.
The city's been hammered by rain and wind recently, and there's a chance of more rain every day until Saturday. Rain could hit the city — or at least get close — on Thursday, and it could be followed by "very strong winds" on Friday, Castro said. The weather means there's potential for flooding along the lakeshore.
Another frost is possible Saturday night because winds could fall, the sky will be clear and temperatures should be cooler, Castro said.
