Oak Hill, WV (WOAY-TV): A snapshot of the weather pattern this week includes cool nights, but we’re not ready for the first hard freeze that will end the growing season just yet.
A couple of weeks ago, we told you how the Greenbrier Valley is one of the foggy spots this time of the year. It’s actually one of the spots that tends to get frost.
Let’s first take you on a guided tour. We’re going to start in Beckley, where the average first frost is just a couple of weeks away on October 3rd. For Lewisburg, the first frost is usually October 4th. In Snowshoe, the growing season traditionally ends on October 5th. Farther south and west along Route 19, Oak Hill’s first killing frost of the season is around October 11th and for Bluefield that date is October 21st.
Now, the perfect recipe for frost to develop is Canadian high pressure, bringing very dry air, calm wind and a clear sky. Another thing is you need a moist ground to be able to form frost because if you don’t have the moisture, you can’t form the ice on the grass that develops the frost.
Meteorologists take a close look at dew point trends to forecast. There’s a good chance on a night with clear skies, light to calm wind and dew points near 32 degrees that you’re going to see that frost formation. We’re not there yet during the coldest part of this week (midweek), but as we get closer to October, we will continue to follow the trends and bring you the latest on when we expect the growing season to end.
Our first crack at the dates when we expect the first hard frost can be found within our winter outlook.
