Season’s first frost or freeze could arrive in parts of Minnesota

This week’s shot of cold air could bring the first widespread freeze and frost advisories of the season as the mercury flirts with the freezing mark Tuesday night into Wednesday.

A freeze warning has been issued for north-central and northern Minnesota, where overnight temperatures could fall to 26 degrees. And a frost advisory will be in effect for counties stretching from Alexandria to St. Cloud to the metro counties of Anoka and Washington, the National Weather Service said.

“This is definitely the first widespread issuances of these” for the season, said Brennan Dettmann, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in the Twin Cities. “If you have plants outside, bring them in.”

Northerly winds are ushering in weather typical for early October, a stark change from the weekend, which saw highs reach over 90 degrees in the Twin Cities.

“Things can change quickly depending on where our air mass is coming from,” Dettmann said.

Allergy sufferers may be rooting for a freeze as temperatures drop into the 30s Wednesday morning in the Twin Cities. But things will become more summerlike as the week progresses. By Friday and Saturday, highs will reach into the 70s with lows in the 40s and 50s.

The average high for this time of the year is in the 60s, which is right on par for the forecast highs for Tuesday and Wednesday, the Weather Service said.