(Johnston, IA) -- Some Iowans woke up to patchy frost this (Monday) morning, and more is possible Tuesday and Wednesday morning. A FROST advisory is in effect from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Tuesday for central Iowa & southern Iowa. Most of northern Iowa will be under a FREEZE Warning for early Tuesday. A FREEZE Warning will also be in affect for most of Iowa early Wednesday morning from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. .
Warmer and windy conditions will return by late week with highs rebounding into the 60s and 70s by Thursday and Friday. These warm, windy, and continued dry conditions will again lead to elevated fire weather conditions.
Aaron Steil of ISU Extension Horticulture says these cold overnight lows will likely end the growing season. He says some vegetables will be able to tolerate the cold weather, but others including tomatoes and peppers will likely be damaged. He recommends harvesting fully-grown, green tomatoes and trying to ripen them indoors by wrapping them in newspaper and storing them in a cool, dark place. Steil says once they begin to turn color, place them on your kitchen counter to ripen.