First Alert Weather In-Depth: Will it be flowers or freeze?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Usually this time of the year we see the snow drop flowers that are often surrounded by the remnants of winter, like ice and snow.  But as soon as we get a stretch of beautiful weather, folks who have a “green thumb” start thinking about doing some gardening and maybe planting some flowers.  The recommendation is to not rush the process because we know the temperature can be a little bit tricky this time of the year. And what appears to be the end of winter, may just be a slow transition to spring. 

We know we had temperatures last week that fell into the mid 20s and obviously most flowers are not going to do very well in these types of conditions. Climatology shows the average date of the last spring frost (which goes back over the last 30 years), confirms there is the potential for a freeze or frost for at least the upcoming week. The northern towns, that are closer to Lake Ontario, usually experience the last freeze over at least the first week of May. But if you live south of Routes 5 and 20 (especially in the deeper valleys), the average date for the last freeze can last all the way until Memorial Day weekend. 

The recommendation is to be extra careful this time of the year when planting flowers. Do we know for certain that the temperature will turn that cold? No, but we do know the pattern is not favorable for the continuation of warmth heading into next week. In fact, it is likely that next Tuesday and Wednesday it will once again be time for the winter jacket!