The first day of October is tomorrow, and that is usually when we see our first freeze here in Colorado Springs. We aren't quite ready to see our first freeze of the season though. We have already broken record-high temperatures twice in the past 4 days, and we have the potential to break some more later this week.
You might hear meteorologists talk about frost and freezes, and this is mainly because of a temperature difference. Once we get down into the mid-30s and we still have some moisture closer to the ground, frost can cover the ground. This can have more of an effect on sensitive vegetation, but this does not signal the end of the growing season. Once we get to 32 degrees, which is the freezing level, that is when we see a more widespread freeze. When temperatures get to 28 degrees or colder, this is what we refer to as a hard freeze. Sprinkler systems will be impacted and this is what signals the end of the growing season.
For Pueblo, the average first freeze is October 8th. The latest that we have seen a first freeze was back in 1963 on November 1st. When we compare this to last year, we saw the first freeze a week later than our average start date.
Closer to the mountains, they will start to see their first freeze in September. Leadville will even see this in August. We have already seen snowfall for the higher peaks this month. For the I-25 corridor, we usually see our first freeze during the first week of October. Going East, the Plains will be closer to the second or third week in October.
____
Have a question or story idea you would like the First Alert 5 Weather team to consider? Email: weather@koaa.com
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
