If you’re protecting your garden plants, don’t panic the second the forecast says 33°F. Plants can survive a light frost because the air around them acts like a little blanket. But if it drops to 29°F or below, your tomatoes are toast.
Pipes? Oh, pipes are dramatic. They start to be at risk when the air temperature stays below 20°F for several hours. But the water inside them? That freezes at 32°F. So if your house is poorly insulated, even a 25°F night can cause a plumbing disaster. Burst pipes are no joke—they’re like a bad party guest who ruins the whole house.
The Fun of “Freezing Point” Experiments
You can test this at home! Put a cup of tap water and a cup of salt water in the freezer. Check them every hour. The salt water will stay liquid longer because its freezing point is lower. Science is delicious, especially when it involves ice cream making.
Oh, and here’s a party trick: if you have a bottle of pure, distilled water, you can supercool it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then pour it over an ice cube, and watch it turn into a frozen tower. It’s like magic, but it’s just physics showing off.
