First Hard Freeze of the Season This Weekend: How to Protect Your Pipes, Plants and Home

The coldest air of the season so far is sweeping across the central and eastern U.S. this week, and many places will get their first freeze, or even a hard freeze, between Friday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 15. If you live east of the Mississippi River or in the South, plan to protect outdoor faucets, exposed pipes and tender plants before Friday night. The short version: disconnect and drain your hoses, open cabinet doors on outside walls, keep your thermostat steady overnight, and cover or bring in plants you want to save.

Here is what forecasters expect, what the freeze terms mean and a simple checklist for getting your home and yard ready.

How cold will it get this weekend?

According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, a strong cold front is moving from the central U.S. to the East Coast and will bring the coldest air of the season so far to much of the central and eastern U.S. by late week. Lows in the 20s are expected over the northern Plains by Friday morning, which would be the first freeze of the season for several areas, and the forecasters say a widespread hard freeze will reach into the South this weekend. Much of the West, meanwhile, stays unusually warm.

USA TODAY reports that lows by Saturday, Nov. 14 will drop into the 20s and 30s across much of the country east of the Mississippi, except central and southern Florida. Frost and freeze risk stretches from northeastern Texas to near northern Florida and the I-95 corridor of the Carolinas. AccuWeather expects the coldest air to settle over the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys Friday night into Saturday, then shift toward the southern Appalachians and Piedmont Saturday night into Sunday.

A few regional examples:

• Michigan: MLive forecasts freezing mornings Friday through Sunday, with Saturday the coldest at about 25 to 27 degrees across Lower Michigan. Lake-effect snow is also expected in the Upper Peninsula.
• Central Alabama: WBRC has declared First Alert Weather Days for Saturday and Sunday mornings, with Saturday lows from the 20s in the north to near 32 in the south.

Check your local NWS office or a trusted local forecast for your exact low, since temperatures can vary a lot over short distances.

Frost advisory, freeze warning and hard freeze: what’s the difference?

The National Weather Service uses three main terms, explained on its cold weather alerts page and in its glossary:

• Frost advisory: lows of about 33 to 36°F with conditions right for frost. Tender plants can be damaged.
• Freeze warning: lows of 32°F or colder for an extended time. This kills some crops and garden plants.
• Hard freeze: 28°F or lower for an extended period, which kills most types of vegetation.

One catch: these frost and freeze alerts are tied to the growing season. Once your area has had its first killing freeze, your local office may stop issuing them for the year, so keep an eye on the forecast low itself.

How to protect your pipes from freezing

Water expands as it freezes, and that pressure can split metal or plastic pipes. The American Red Cross says the pipes most likely to freeze are outdoor hose bibs, pool and sprinkler supply lines, pipes in unheated spaces like crawl spaces, attics, garages and basements, and pipes that run along poorly insulated exterior walls. A first freeze in mid-November usually won’t burst well-protected indoor plumbing, but outdoor lines and exposed pipes are a real risk, especially where nights drop into the 20s.

Before Friday night

1. Disconnect, drain and store garden hoses. A hose left attached can trap water in the faucet.
2. Shut off and drain outdoor faucets. The Red Cross recommends closing the inside valve that feeds each outdoor hose bib, then opening the outside tap so leftover water can drain and expand without breaking the pipe. Leave it open.
3. Drain sprinkler and pool supply lines following the manufacturer’s or installer’s directions. Don’t add antifreeze unless directed.
4. Insulate exposed pipes in the garage, crawl space or under sinks. Foam pipe sleeves are inexpensive at hardware stores, and the Red Cross also mentions UL-listed heat tape or heat cable.
5. Seal obvious drafts near pipes, such as gaps where lines enter through the foundation.

On the coldest nights

• Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes. Move cleaners out of reach of kids and pets.
• Let cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. Even a trickle helps keep water moving.
• Keep your thermostat at the same setting day and night instead of turning it down. Your heating bill may go up a little, but a burst pipe costs far more.
• If you’ll be away, leave the heat on and set no lower than 55°F, as the Red Cross advises.

If you heat with oil or propane, now is also a good time to check your tank level before the cold settles in. Our guide to heating oil prices this winter and how to cut your bill covers budget plans and assistance programs.

If a pipe freezes anyway

A faucet that only trickles is a common sign. The Red Cross says to keep the faucet open and warm the frozen section with an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, towels soaked in hot water or a portable space heater kept away from anything flammable. Never use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame. If you can’t find or reach the frozen spot, or it won’t thaw, call a licensed plumber, and check your other faucets, since one frozen pipe often means others. If you’re relying on a space heater, first make sure it isn’t part of a recall, such as the DREO space heater recall announced earlier this month.

After a thaw, look for drips, damp drywall or water stains near the pipe. A small crack can leak slowly for days, and our tips on fixing leaky faucets and pipes can help with minor repairs. Know where your main water shutoff valve is before you need it.

How to protect plants from frost and freeze

Summer annuals, tomatoes, peppers, tropical houseplants summering outdoors and newly planted perennials are the plants most at risk. The National Weather Service in Buffalo suggests these steps:

• Bring potted plants inside or move them under a porch or into a garage.
• Cover garden beds with lightweight fabric, such as old sheets or frost cloth, in the evening. Let the cover reach the ground to trap the soil’s warmth, and remove it the next morning.
• Water the soil before the cold night. Moist soil holds heat better than dry soil.

Be realistic about a hard freeze. MLive’s meteorologist notes that several mornings in the mid-20s will end most of the garden season, so pick the ripest vegetables now. Once the weekend passes, it’s a good time to empty and store clay or ceramic pots, which can crack when wet soil freezes.

A quick weekend checklist

• Hoses off, outdoor faucets drained and left open
• Sprinkler system drained or blown out
• Foam sleeves on exposed pipes in the garage, attic or crawl space
• Cabinet doors open on exterior walls during the coldest nights
• Thermostat steady overnight; at least 55°F if you’re traveling
• Tender plants covered or brought indoors before sunset
• Main water shutoff located and easy to reach

FAQ

At what temperature do pipes freeze?

Water freezes at 32°F, but how fast a pipe freezes depends on how long it stays cold, wind and how exposed the pipe is. Outdoor faucets and pipes in unheated spaces or along uninsulated outside walls are the most at risk, so protect those first whenever lows head into the 20s.

Should I drip my faucets this weekend?

If you have pipes in unheated areas or along exterior walls and your forecast low is well below freezing, a slow drip of cold water from those faucets is a cheap safeguard. The Red Cross recommends it during very cold weather.

Featured photo: frost on a lawn at sunrise in Ewing Township, New Jersey. Photo by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.