CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The National Weather Service in Charleston, West Virginia, announced the end to the 2025 growing season for the portions of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia their office is responsible for.
The announcement comes after a string of cold nights in late October causing a hard freeze.
A freeze is when temperatures dip below 32 degrees for several hours. At these temperatures, crop death starts to occur for most vegetable and fruit plant species. For the most sensitive species, total crop death can occur when temperatures drop to just 28 degrees for several hours, or a soft freeze.
For the hardiest of plant species, 25 degrees, or hard freeze, for several hours is enough to cause total crop death.
Since the last two weeks of October featured temperatures below thresholds for many plants to survive, the NWS Charleston office said, “….frost/freeze headlines will not be issued until the spring of 2026 for the following counties: Athens, Boone, Boyd, Buchanan, Cabell, Carter, Dickenson, Gallia, Greenup, Jackson OH, Jackson WV, Kanawha, Lawrence KY, Lawrence WV, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Meigs, Mingo, Morgan, Perry, Putnam, Vinton, Washington, Wayne, and Wyoming.”
Whether it’s indoor house plants or the last remaining tomato plant with a few more days left in it, be mindful of forecast with temperatures below 32 degrees. The risk of frost and freeze is still likely.
Winter is around the corner and the winter freeze will settle in sooner rather than later, but as for advisories or warnings to rely on, you’ll just have to wait until the spring of 2025.
