The National Weather Service issued a Freeze Warning at 12:36 a.m. Tuesday effective between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday for McKean, Potter, Elk, Somerset and Sullivan counties.

“Temperatures below 31 degrees are expected,” the weather service says. “Generally cloudy skies are expected and could limit the drop in temperatures by Wednesday morning.”

“Freezing and freezing conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” the weather service adds. “Those with agricultural interests should protect sensitive vegetation. Valleys and sheltered areas will experience the coldest temperatures. Take steps now to protect tender plants and vegetation from the cold.”

Freeze monitoring or warning – this is what it means

Frost warnings are issued from May to October (but can be extended if necessary), when low temperatures are expected to be between 29 and 32 degrees. If there is a risk of temperatures falling below these thresholds, a frost watch may be issued a few days in advance.

According to the weather service, if a frost warning or watch is issued for your area, there is little you can do to protect the plants. If you can move your sensitive plants indoors, do so because freezing temperatures will likely kill them, depending on the severity of the conditions.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.