MILWAUKEE - Parts of northern Wisconsin could wake up to the first widespread frost of the season Monday morning as temperatures fall into the lower and middle 30s.
The National Weather Service has issued a Frost Advisory from midnight Sunday night through 8 a.m. Monday for much of north-central and northwestern Wisconsin as well as a portion of western Wisconsin.
Temperatures at the ground level could fall as low as 32 degrees, allowing frost to develop across much of the advisory area. A few of the traditionally colder locations in northern Wisconsin could briefly fall to or slightly below freezing.
What we know:
Where frost is most likely
The greatest potential for widespread frost is generally along and north of Highway 8, including communities such as Eagle River, Rhinelander, Crandon, Superior and Tomahawk.
High pressure settling over Wisconsin will bring clearing skies and increasingly calm winds Sunday night. Those are favorable conditions for temperatures to fall quickly after sunset, particularly in low-lying and sheltered areas.
Why you should care:
Protect sensitive plants
Many people in the Milwaukee Metro area have cottages or cabins in those areas so if you still have a garden in up north or cold-sensitive plants outside, consider bringing potted plants indoors or covering vulnerable vegetation before temperatures fall Sunday night.
The frost will also provide a distinctly fall-like start to Monday across northern Wisconsin, but the quiet weather will not last long. Rain and thunderstorms are expected to spread into the state later Monday, with locally heavy rainfall possible Monday night into Tuesday.
Local perspective:
Frost starts later in the south
The average first frost or freeze doesn't typically occur in southern portions of Wisconsin until mid to late October. However, the earliest record of a 32 degree or colder low in Milwaukee was September 20th 1956. The coldest September low on record for Milwaukee was 28 degrees on September 23rd 1974.
The Source: National Weather Service Sullivan & Green Bay. The FOX 6 Weather Experts