SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV)
With the quiet weather coming our way for the weekend there will no doubt be plenty of gardeners out in their yards getting work done and perhaps thinking of planting some flowers or vegetables.
Is the weather safe to do that?
Given the temperatures this weekend, your decision whether to hold off or not is pretty easy. The Storm Team forecast is calling for some frost around Syracuse Saturday and perhaps Sunday morning.
Climatologically speaking, next weekend may give you better odds.
First, we look at a 34 degree threshold, not at the last 32 degree temperature. Why is that? On clear, calm nights the coldest air in the atmosphere tends to settle near the ground because colder air is denser/heavier.
However, thermometers that most of us look at are located several feet above the ground. Maybe you have your thermometer at eye level outside a kitchen window. That thermometer may be giving you an accurate reading for 5 or 6 feet above the surface, but down where your plants are it is very likely a couple of degrees cooler.
With that in mind, let’s look at when the average last date for 34 degree or lower temperatures occurs in Syracuse.
Using the latest 30 year average (1991-2020), that comes out to May 7th which gets us into the second weekend of the month this year.
Of course, this is an example for Syracuse. Outlying areas are no doubt later in the month of May, and for some of the notoriously cold spots in Central New York (like the Tug Hill) it is usually a good idea to wait until Memorial Day weekend.