Low temperatures could break record overnight Wednesday

COLUMBIA — The National Weather Service in St. Louis said Columbia could experience a record low overnight.

The record for Sept. 15 was set in 1904 when the temperature dipped to 38 degrees, meterologist Jayson Gosselin said.

“We’re going right around 40 degrees, so it could break it if the weather gets a little cooler than we’re forecasting,” he said.

The cooler weather should not end the local gardening season though, said Susan Pease, an employee at Wilson’s Garden Center in Columbia.

“Our Cole crops, like broccoli, brussels sprouts, some sugar peas, radishes, onions, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale love it when it gets a little cooler,” she said.

Tips for preventing gardens from freezing in the cooler weather, she said, include insulating plants with straw or mulch and watering them.

“Just because the weather is cooler doesn’t mean you have to quit watering,” she said. “In fact, to prevent some freezing of some plants, you want to make sure you do water them.”

Patchy frost was predicted for Northwestern Missouri, in the area north of Kansas City.

The frost wasn't expected to be severe though, Gosselin said. “It doesn’t look like a freeze, so it shouldn’t end the growing season."