Freeze Warning Tonight Issued for Meriden

A freeze warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Meriden and northern New Haven County from about midnight tonight to 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The warning notes temperatures as low as the mid 20s tonight could kill garden vegetables and houseplants that are left outdoors.

A report in the Wall Street Journal notes that tonight's temperatures in New Haven could be three degrees colder than the record cold of 1981. "That kind of frigidity is similar to the average lows southern Connecticut experiences in the first week of December, almost two months from now," the report stated.

Here is the rest of the forecast for the weekend and beyond:

• Tonight: Areas of frost before 10pm, then widespread frost after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight.
• Saturday: Widespread frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
• Saturday night: Showers likely, mainly after 3am. Cloudy, with a low around 36. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Sunday: Showers likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 57. South wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Sunday night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Monday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.