TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - The temperatures are dropping and southern Arizona is bracing for another cold night. We officially hit the freezing mark Sunday night and we can expect the same if not colder conditions Monday and Tuesday.
The National Weather Service predicts some areas will dip down into near-record lows overnight. Tucson will be near or below 32 degrees. Colder valley locations east and south of Tucson will experience overnight lows in the teens and 20s.
The coldest temperatures will occur in the early morning hours until just after sunrise.
When the temperatures drop, Mesquite Valley Growers says they get tons of calls from people asking what to do with their plants. Their best advice: cover anything that's cold sensitive, especially citrus.
"You want to use something like the frost cloth here or you can use old sheets," said Rodney White, a horticultural advisor at Mesquite Valley Growers. "Make sure that it's up off of the plant. If there's a hard frost, the fabric is touching the plant, the frost can go through and cause the damage."
Roses and winter vegetables will be fine in the freeze, but they do recommend bringing any herbs inside. White also says native plants like mesquite are fine but he does recommend protecting cactus tips.
"It's the newest growth at the ends that will receive the damage," said White.
After your plants are covered, cover up those pipes. Ace Hardware Associate Emmanuel Lujan recommends using pipe covers and taping them down every six inches.
"The freeze would come in, freeze the water and the pipe will burst," he said.
He also recommends making sure any pipes on your roof are covered. He says a lot of people forget about those.
And when the temperatures drop near the freezing mark, pets also need to come inside.
The Salvation Army will also have Operation Deep Freeze in effect tonight and tomorrow for anyone who needs a warm place to sleep. Doors open at 3 p.m. and they have overflow space if it gets too crowded.
Operation Deep Freeze takes place at the Salvation Army's Hospitality House located at 1002 N. Main Avenue. It will also be in effect Tuesday night if the overnight temperature drops below 35 degrees.
