BY JOHN HOPKINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Autumn's first frost was expected to settle over the Tristate on Thursday night, sending a chill through perennials and ending the colorful cycle of some garden annuals.
The forecast called for a light and scattered frost that would likely cover low-lying areas, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, and AccuWeather.
"Frost-wise, I don't think we're talking widespread," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mark Tobin said Thursday, noting that tonight's lows pose little threat of frost.
"In Cincinnati itself, it probably won't get below 40 degrees. Any frost will be concentrated outside the city. Most areas outside the city will be in the 30s."
During a light freeze, 29 to 32 degrees, tender plants are killed. A moderate freeze, 25 to 28, destroys most vegetation and causes heavy damage to fruit blossoms and tender and semihardy plants. A severe freeze, 24 degrees and below, causes heavy damage to most plants, according to the National Climatic Center.
Heat generated from vehicles and the concentration of buildings within the city were expected to keep city temperatures high enough to avoid a night frost, Mr. Tobin said.
Michael Benken of H.J. Benken Florist and Greenhouse in Silverton said it is time for residents with flowers and houseplants to take the usual autumn precautions.
"The biggest risk is to any soft annuals that are left out or houseplants," he said.
Plants can adjust to a gradual cooling during autumn, he said. But when temperatures go from one extreme to another, the change can kill. Mr. Benken said some annuals, such as blue salvia and snapdragon, can take the cold. On the other hand, soft annuals such as impatiens and begonias will definitely turn black.
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