Freeze warning issued for parts of Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties early Sunday

The National Weather Service placed parts of the Philadelphia region under a freeze warning from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday, with temperatures in some suburban areas forecast to dip as low as 31 degrees Fahrenheit, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer reported that the warning covers upper Bucks County, western Montgomery County and western Chester County. The agency issued the alert on Saturday.

Zack Cooper, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Mount Holly, told the Inquirer that the warning is centered on the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos and neighboring parts of northern New Jersey, with the outer Philadelphia suburbs at the edge of the affected zone.

The two outlets differed on how much frost to expect. Cooper told the Inquirer that frost could form in places where temperatures fall below freezing but that it was not expected to be widespread. CBS Philadelphia, in a forecast segment with NEXT Weather meteorologist Tammie Souza, said widespread frost was expected in parts of the area.

The overnight freeze could bring the growing season to a close in some locations. "Where the growing season is still active, [it] will represent an end to that if it does fall below freezing," Cooper said, according to the Inquirer.

The cold followed a sharp swing in the weather. CBS Philadelphia described Saturday as wet and reported that the region saw temperatures fall by more than 20 degrees over the course of the day. The Inquirer noted that Philadelphia had been under a severe thunderstorm watch on Friday, and CBS Philadelphia had reported that storms could bring showers and thunderstorms to the region that day.

Looking ahead, the Inquirer reported that daytime highs during the coming workweek are expected to top out around the mid-60s, with evening temperatures in the 40s.

Freeze warnings are typically issued when temperatures are forecast to drop to or below freezing during the growing season, a threshold that can damage sensitive plants and crops. Residents in the warned areas with outdoor plants may want to check local forecasts for updates from the weather service.

Compiled by True News from reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer and CBS Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/194