Frost and Freeze Warnings will blanket the Lowcountry for a second consecutive night before a gradual warming trend commences this week.
The mercury is forecast to dip to near freezing, closer to and west of U.S. Highway 17 early Tuesday morning. These temperatures are likely to result in the formation of frost, which could be dangerous to sensitive vegetation that may have been planted early in this growing season. Lows will be closer to 40 along the immediate shoreline, which should limit frost formation there, but it is likely to be more prevalent a few miles inland.
Other areas of frost and freezing temperatures are likely early Tuesday elsewhere in the Palmetto State. There are no frost or freeze warnings away from the Lowcountry because the growing season has not yet started over most of the state. The average date of the last frost is in late March over the Midlands and Pee Dee, and as late as early April in the Upstate. Frost and/or freeze warnings would be issued in these areas closer to those dates, if conditions warrant.