Freeze warning stretches into Sunday morning
The National Weather Service extended its Clark County freeze warning into mid-morning Sunday as temperatures slowly climbed back above freezing.
How the cold snap unfolded
The warning capped a string of alerts that began with a Freeze Watch issued October 16 at 1:30 p.m., warning of sub-freezing temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s NWS. That watch was replaced early October 17 by a full Freeze Warning, which the weather service then updated several times as the cold held on through the night and into Sunday morning NWS +3. Earlier versions of the warning told people to take steps right away to protect tender plants from the cold NWS +2.
This report is based on a series of Freeze Watch and Freeze Warning alerts issued by the National Weather Service's Wilmington, Ohio office between October 16 and October 18, 2026 NWS +5.
Sources
The source filing
| Event | Freeze Warning |
|---|---|
| Message type | Alert |
| Severity | Severe |
| Certainty | Likely |
| Urgency | Expected |
| Headline | Freeze Warning issued October 18 at 9:02AM EDT until October 18 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH |
| Area desc | Wayne; Fayette; Union; Franklin; Ripley; Dearborn; Ohio; Switzerland; Carroll; Gallatin; Boone; Kenton; Campbell; Owen; Grant; Pendleton; Bracken; Robertson; Mason; Lewis; Hardin; Mercer; Auglaize; Darke; Shelby; Logan; Union; Delaware; Miami; Champaign; Clark; Madison; Franklin; Licking; Preble; Montgomery; Greene; Fayette; Pickaway; Fairfield; Butler; Warren; Clinton; Ross; Hocking; Hamilton; Clermont; Brown; Highland; Adams; Pike; Scioto |
| Effective | October 18, 2026, 9:02 a.m. |
| Expires | October 18, 2026, 10:15 a.m. |
| Sender name | NWS Wilmington OH |
Published by National Weather Service (api.weather.gov). This is the agency's public filing as The Lantern received it, shown with its fields named in plain English.