Freeze watch issued for Colorado's four corner regions: What residents need to know

A freeze watch is issued for the Four Corners region late Wednesday, April 1.

The temperature is expected to drop below freezing, directly threatening spring plantings, gardens, and crops across southwest Colorado.

The warning is issued by the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction, which cited that the most affected communities will be Durango, Cortez, and Pagosa Springs.

Experts warn that the overnight forecasts can sink as low as 27 degrees (five degrees below the freezing mark).

After midnight, the coldest air is expected to settle in, blanketing the Animas River Basin and San Juan River Basin with a hard, fast frost.

The timing of the frost is a significant threat to gardeners and farmers.

Following weeks of unusual warm weather, prompting young seedlings and garden plants to start budding early, this unexpected freeze can destroy plant life in a matter of hours.

At 27 degrees, frost invades plant cell walls, breaking them apart and transforming healthy young springtime growth into limp, brownish plant matter.

Farm areas in Cortez, Mancos, and Dove Creek are at the highest risk for this weather pattern, as they are located in colder valley floors.

Residents are requested to take precautionary measures, including covering outdoor plants with cloth or frost blankets, bringing potted plants indoors, insulating exposed outdoor plumbing, and watering plants before the freeze.