Temperatures were expected to drop to about 30 overnight and are expected to hit the same low tonight. Warmer daytime temperatures, predicted to remain near 50, should keep the area from suffering a hard freeze but the lows at night could cause some frost. Matt Sena, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, said a late-March freeze is not too unusual for Middle Georgia. The normal low temperature for this time of year is in the 40s, but the area won't come close to breaking the record low - a frigid 20. That's when we typically have swings in temperature as we have storms coming through.
Cold snaps are bothersome to most, but for area farmers, they can prove to be financially damaging.
Al Pearson, a peach farmer in Peach County, said a freeze several weeks ago took about 10-15 percent of his product. Weather forecasters can always be wrong, he said, so it might not happen again. But if the temperature does drop as expected, Pearson said there is not much he can do beyond hoping he planted the right types of peaches in the right places. Also, he said, wind can help prevent a frost. I just hope it doesn't lay down.