Massachusetts could see first freeze Thursday

BOSTON - If you've been holding out on turning the heat on, you might want to give in tonight as the weather forecast takes a sharp turn in Massachusetts.

We have had some chilly nights over the course of the last week or so, dropping into the low 40s in Boston and into the 30s in many of the suburbs. Wednesday night, we go to the next level.

Frost in the forecast

For the first time this season, many of us will wake up to a frosty landscape Thursday morning. In fact, we expect some of the colder locations to skip right past the frost and actually have their first freeze. Time to find the windshield scraper!

Temperatures will bottom out just before dawn on Thursday morning. While downtown Boston and Worcester will likely stay well above freezing, the majority of the suburbs will fall to between 28-34 degrees.

Average first freeze dates

Despite the cold forecast, the National Weather Service will NOT be issuing any frost or freeze warnings in southern New England.

This is because the growing season , by their estimation, is already deemed over. Once we get past Oct. 11 in eastern Mass. and Oct. 1 in central Mass., it is assumed that folks are no longer actively growing or protecting outdoor plants.

Take a look at this map which shows the average first freeze dates in the fall. Central Mass. is lagging about two weeks behind while most of MetroWest is about a week behind.

This is nothing new. Fall temperatures have been steadily warming over the last few decades, meaning a longer growing season as well as a longer allergy season.

If you do have some plants that you want to protect, you should absolutely cover them or bring them inside tonight. In fact, whatever survives tonight will likely make it for another week or two given the mild forecast ahead.

Keep an eye on the low temperature forecast for Friday and Saturday, otherwise we are in for a very mild stretch with several days well into the 70s through most of next week.