CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It may be spring time, but you might still want to hang onto your winter coat before the weekend.
The National Weather Service called for freezing temperatures in some parts of the Mountain State Thursday night into Friday morning.
Areas of West Virginia will be under a Freeze Watch Thursday night until 4 a.m. Those counties include Berkeley and Jefferson.
A Freeze Warning was issued for Pleasants, Tyler, Ritchie, Doddridge, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Harrison, Mercer, Summers, Monroe, and Greenbrier counties from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday. Charleston will also be under a Freeze Warning during that time.
A Frost Advisory will go into affect for Wayne, Cabell, Mason, Jackson, Wood, Lincoln, Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Wirt, Cahoun, Mingo, Logan, Boone, Clay, McDowell, and Wyoming counties from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday.
NWS Meteorologist Mike Charnick said the coldest temperatures across the region will be up in the northern and eastern mountains, with a low of 22 degrees in Pocahontas County.
Charleston will get down to 34 degrees, Parkersburg at 32, and some areas in southeastern Ohio will see lows in the upper 20s Thursday night.
“Frost and freeze are definitely a concern in those areas,” said Charnick.
Charnick said an area of high pressure will move in with mostly clear skies overnight that will allow for some cooling. The heat that builds up during the day Thursday will radiate into the air at night.
“We’re also going to have light winds, which are also a factor that contributes to the ground cooling off fairly rapidly,” he said.
Charnick said West Virginians should prepare for the cold weather, especially gardeners who may need to take the step of covering some of their plants in the ground or any garden hoses they have outside.
“Especially in the northern counties, if you get down into the 20s, that’s cold enough that some of those garden pipes and hoses could burst in the cold,” he said.
Charnick said the cold will only last through Friday morning. Areas of West Virginia could see rain showers throughout the weekend from Saturday into Sunday morning.
Another sight of frost is likely the beginning of next week.