Nightfall to bring area's first chance of a freeze

Sheets tossed over tender flowers are competing with Halloween ghosts in area yards as Wichita prepares for its first chance of a freeze tonight.

The low is forecast to fall to the freezing point, 32, late tonight or Thursday morning, said Scott Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita.

"There is a chance you could see areas of frost that could damage sensitive outdoor vegetation," Smith said.

To protect tender plants, throw a light sheet over them or, if they're in pots, move them into a shed or garage or at least under an overhang. Tomatoes should be picked. Unpicked pumpkins will be OK, but a freeze could kill the vines.

The Sedgwick County Zoo will be accepting donations of tropical plants and perennials in containers 12 inches and larger this weekend. If you are not able to deliver a plant yourself, you can call the zoo at 316-266-8313 to arrange for a pick-up.

Green tomatoes that have a white flush in the form of a star on the stem end will ripen off the vine. Put them on the windowsill or, if you have tons, Ward Upham, a horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension, advises separating them into three groups for storage: those that are mostly red, those that are just starting to turn, and those that are still green. Throw away tomatoes that have any rotten spots or broken skin. Put the rest of the tomatoes on cardboard trays or cartons and, if you stack the tomatoes, use layers of newspaper in between in case any of the tomatoes start to rot and leak juice, Upham recommends. Store groups of tomatoes at as close to 55 degrees as possible until needed, he said.

The average date of the first freeze in Wichita is Oct. 26, Smith said.

The cold snap is not expected to last. Daytime temperatures are expected to rise back into the 70s by Sunday, Smith said.