Early Thursday morning at 2:56 a.m., the NWS Wilmington NC announced a freeze watch set to take effect on Saturday from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. The watch encompasses the areas of Inland Pender, Inland New Hanover, Inland Brunswick, Inland Georgetown, Central Horry, and Northern Horry, along with Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Williamsburg counties.
Chilly conditions are expected, with temperatures dipping into the upper 20s to around 30 degrees for parts of southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina from late Friday night into Saturday morning.
“Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, and other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” explains the NWS.
This alert remains active until Saturday at 9 a.m.
Warnings for freezing conditions are announced from May through October (with the possibility of extension if needed), indicating that temperatures are anticipated to drop to between 29 and 32 degrees. If temperatures are expected to drop to these levels, a freeze watch could be announced several days in advance.
The NWS indicates that when a freeze warning or watch is in effect for your region, options for safeguarding plants are quite limited. It’s advisable to bring your delicate plants indoors, as the impending freeze could potentially be fatal for them, depending on how severe the weather turns out to be.