Asheville 1st freeze forecast for Halloween night: What to know

Sarah Honosky, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read

ASHEVILLE - The first freeze of the season is forecast for Halloween night in Asheville, a stunning 25-degree drop as high temperatures are expected to plunge from the mid-70s to the the low-50s in a day, with an anticipated nighttime temp of 24 degrees Fahrenheit on Oct. 31.

Mike Rehnberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, based in Greer, South Carolina, said Oct. 20 is the average day for the Asheville area's first freeze, so while this year isn't too far off, the recent week's warm temperatures are "exacerbating how much we feel that difference."

The low temperatures will come as a potent cold front slides across the area, Rehnberg said, driving temps 5-10 degrees below normal.

Sub-freezing nightly temperatures will continue throughout the week, reaching lows of 23 degrees on Nov. 1 and 28 degrees on Nov. 2. Temperatures will come up above freezing Nov. 3 with a forecasted low in the mid-30s.

Despite the season's "first real hard freeze," Rehnberg said trick-or-treaters don't need to fear a brutally cold evening — At 8 p.m. Oct. 31, temperatures will be in the low-40s, dipping into the upper 30s by midnight.

"It won't be a super freeze for all the kids out to get their candy," he said, but it won't be a lukewarm Halloween night, either. There is a chance of rain earlier in the day, but "by the time trick-or-treaters are out, that will be well east of the area."

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Oct. 17, 2019: Rime ice occurs when temperatures dip low enough for moisture to freeze to a surface — in this case Grandfather Mountain’s spruce fir trees and other high-elevation vegetation. Meanwhile, fall foliage, seen at lower elevations in the background, offers a colorful contrast.
Oct. 17, 2019: Rime ice occurs when temperatures dip low enough for moisture to freeze to a surface — in this case Grandfather Mountain’s spruce fir trees and other high-elevation vegetation. Meanwhile, fall foliage, seen at lower elevations in the background, offers a colorful contrast.

Historically, when does Asheville get its 1st freeze?

  • 2022: Oct. 18

  • 2021: Nov. 6

  • 2020: Nov. 2

  • 2019: Nov. 1

Prep your plants for the 1st freeze

For perennial and landscaping plants, Alan Israel, owner of Jesse Israel & Sons Garden Center, said the freezing temperatures were a good thing.

"You want the plants to start going dormant and a good hard freeze is good for this," Israel said. "I'd be worried if we were dropping below 20 (degrees). That's where you start getting some problems with container plants, root-killing temperatures."

As for house plants, Israel cautioned people to get them inside where they will stay for the rest of the winter. Any mums still showing good color should also be brought in at night.

But before attention turns to plants, with a freeze incoming, Israel said the "first thing" to do is disconnect the garden hose from the house and drain and switch off water lines for sprinkler systems, garden hoses and outdoor faucets.

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Code Purple called. Where to find shelter:

With Asheville's first freeze comes the season's first called Code Purple, a longstanding community initiative that activates emergency shelter beds when temperatures drop below freezing.

Unlike previous years, the process no longer only triggers when temperatures fall below 32 degrees, but will also be available when temps measure at 33-40 degrees with precipitation. The season will last through April 30.

More: What to know: How can you find emergency homeless shelter on freezing nights in Asheville?

Who decides when Code Purple is called? Leaders of the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Coalition, a volunteer coalition of area service providers and stakeholders, call Code Purple nights based on the forecast posted by www.weather.gov, 48 hours in advance.

How can you find out if it is a Code Purple night? The Homeless Coalition will email its distribution list. Based on those email notifications, the city and county will publicize via their websites, the Harrah's Cherokee Center marquee and the county’s text alert system. To be added to the Homeless Coalition distribution list, email bcnc.homeless.coalition@gmail.com.

A recorded message on the new phone line will also be available at 828-398-6011.

Code Purple Procedure Manual 2023-2024: https://bit.ly/46N915q.

How many beds are activated? 91 beds, with some flex capacity available.

ABCCM's Veterans Restoration Quarters

  • Location: 1329 Tunnel Road.

  • Number: 828-259-5333.

  • Population: Single men.

  • How many beds? 50.

  • Intake hours: 4-8 p.m. Exit by 7:30 a.m.

  • Transit Route: WE2; 170.

ABCCM's Transformation Village

  • Location: 30 Olin Haven Way.

  • Number: 828-259-5365.

  • Population: Single women and women with children.

  • How many beds? 25.

  • Intake hours: 4-8 p.m. Exit by 7:30 a.m.

  • Transit Route: W2.

Salvation Army

  • Location: 204 Haywood St.

  • Number: 828-253-4723.

  • Population: Single men.

  • How many beds? 16.

  • Intake hours: 5-8 p.m. Exit by 7:30 a.m.

  • Transit Route: N3; N4.

More: What to know about Asheville Halloween, trick-or-treating, parties and more

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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville 1st freeze forecast for Halloween night: What to know