Freeze Warnings take effect early Saturday across much of Iowa, Wisconsin, southeast and central Minnesota and northern Illinois, with lows as cold as 26 degrees expected.
Seven National Weather Service offices issued warnings for the same cold snap. Most run from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Iowa
Central Iowa (NWS Des Moines): lows as cold as 29 degrees, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. The warning covers much of central Iowa, including Des Moines, Ames, Marshalltown, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Newton, Oskaloosa and Indianola. It was upgraded from a Freeze Watch.
East and Northeast Iowa (NWS Quad Cities): lows as cold as 30 degrees, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. The warning covers east central, northeast and southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Bettendorf, Dubuque, Clinton, Muscatine, Moline, Rock Island and Galena.
North Central and Northeast Iowa (NWS La Crosse): lows as cold as 26 degrees. Cities include Decorah, Charles City, Waukon, Osage, Cresco and New Hampton.
Wisconsin
West Central and Southwest Wisconsin (NWS La Crosse): lows as cold as 26 degrees, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. Cities include La Crosse, Black River Falls, Tomah, Sparta, Viroqua, Richland Center, Prairie du Chien, Platteville and Medford. The warning also covers southeast Minnesota, including Rochester, Winona, Austin and Wabasha.
Southern and Eastern Wisconsin (NWS Milwaukee): lows as cold as 28 degrees, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. Cities include Madison, Waukesha, Janesville, Beloit, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan Falls, West Bend, Baraboo, Beaver Dam and Lake Geneva.
Central, East Central and Northeast Wisconsin (NWS Green Bay): lows from 26 to 32 degrees, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. Cities include Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Wausau, Stevens Point, Manitowoc, Neenah, Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids. The warmest lows will be from Appleton and Oshkosh east to the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Minnesota
Central, South and Southeast Minnesota, and Western Wisconsin (NWS Twin Cities): lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s, 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. CDT Saturday. The warning covers parts of central, east central, south central, southeast and southwest Minnesota and northwest and west central Wisconsin.
Cities include Mankato, Owatonna, Albert Lea, Faribault, Shakopee, Hastings, Red Wing, Hutchinson, New Ulm, Eau Claire and Hudson. It was upgraded from a Freeze Watch.
Northern Illinois
Rockford and the Fox Valley (NWS Chicago): sub-freezing temperatures, but a shorter window of 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. CDT Saturday. The warning covers Boone, De Kalb, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago counties, including Rockford, Aurora, Elgin, DeKalb, Woodstock, McHenry, Crystal Lake, Dixon and Belvidere.
Northwest Illinois counties (Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Whiteside and Rock Island) are covered by the Quad Cities warning above.
How to Prepare
A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are expected. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Cover or bring in sensitive plants before Friday night, and protect exposed outdoor plumbing such as hose bibs and irrigation lines.
