Freeze Alerts Expand Across Several States

The National Weather Service issued freeze warnings for parts of the Carolinas, Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic and Alabama as temperatures were forecast to fall to about 27–32 degrees overnight into Saturday; central Alabama was also expected to face freezing conditions Sunday. Alerts covered southeastern North Carolina, southern New Jersey, Delaware, parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and counties in central and northern Alabama, while parts of coastal North Carolina were under a freeze watch. Frost and freezing temperatures could harm crops and sensitive plants and damage exposed plumbing, so officials advised protecting tender vegetation and insulating, draining or slowly dripping vulnerable pipes. A coastal flood advisory remained in effect for Ocean County, New Jersey, but forecasters expected no further coastal flooding after Saturday.