(Photo by Gordon Jimison)

(Photo by Gordon Jimison)

Here it is, the first frost of the season. You people who have been grumbling about summer overstaying its welcome into mid-October can now stop and use that newfound time to shield your sensitive outdoor plants.

The National Weather Service actually issued the region’s first frost advisory on Monday, but it only affected the far-out suburbs to the north and west.

Tonight, though, the mercury in D.C. will go down into the mid-30s and kill what remains of all that is good and warm.

“Leaves and flowers freeze more quickly than the air and the ground, which is why they’re still vulnerable even on nights when the air temperature doesn’t quite get down to freezing,” the Capital Weather Gang explains. “If the water in plant cells freezes, it expands and damages the cell, and the plant eventually will die.” Just like everything else; you can thank the worst season for the reminder.

Filed Under: autumn, fall, frost, make it stop, winter is coming,