Freezing temperatures finally hit Philadelphia

This morning, for the first time since late March, temperatures fell below the freezing mark at Philadelphia International Airport.

The overnight low of 30 was reached about 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Yesterday hit, but didn't fall below, 32 degrees - the latest date for the season's first official freeze since 1939, when it didn't happen till Dec. 11.

Many outlying areas had their first freezes Nov. 1, with temperatures dipping into the 20s in Millville and Allentown, hitting 31 in Atlantic City and the freezing mark in Reading.

The growing season officially ended then for many rural parts of the region, but some areas along the Philadelphia-to-Wilmington I-95 corridor were spared a killing frost for weeks.

In Camden County, this morning's frost may have finally done in tender plants like impatiens that had managed to survive through Thanksgiving.

Other areas were much colder this morning, with temperatures in the mid to low 20s reported in Doylestown, Mount Holly, Lancaster, Wildwood and Pottstown.

Mount Pocono hit 30 degrees on Oct. 10.

Frost, by the way, can form even when the official temperature is in the mid 30s. That's because the ground can get colder than the air six feet or so above - the height where temperature measurements are normally made.