On Monday at 12:26 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a frost advisory valid for Tuesday between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. for Marion, Fayette, Winston, Walker, Blount, Etowah, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Clay and Randolph counties.

The weather service comments, “For the Freeze Warning, sub-freezing temperatures as low as 32 degrees. For the Frost Advisory on Tuesday morning, temperatures as low as 34 will result in frost formation.”

“Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” adds the weather service. “Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above ground pipes to protect them from freezing.”

What to do if there is a frost advisory

Frost advisories are issued from May to October (but can be extended if necessary) when temperatures, winds, and sky cover are favorable for frost development. This is most likely to happen when the temperature is 36 degrees or less. In some cases, the frost is severe enough to end the growing season and is then referred to as a ‘killing frost’.

According to the weather service, if a frost advisory is issued for your area, cover up sensitive plants before the sun sets so that it can help retain heat near the plants, or move the plants indoors for the night, if possible.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.