ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The weather has definitely brought more tricks than treats to us here in the Big Country, especially these last few days. There were a few areas that saw its first freeze Tuesday morning since earlier this year in mid-March. Areas like Jayton and Aspermont saw its first freezes Sunday.

The NWS office in San Angelo issued the first Freeze Watch on Sunday, and the first Freeze Warning Monday morning – the first time since February. We also saw freezing rain for the first time in a long time on Sunday.

Fortunately, we did not see any snowfall, as confirmed by the Abilene Air Traffic Control Tower. The conditions Halloween morning were spooky and chilling as temperatures crept down into the low 30s and even upper 20s.

Here in the Key City, we started the day below freezing with a low temperature of 31 degrees. On an agricultural note, this officially ends the growing season. The length of the growing season was 225 days from the last spring freeze on March 19 to the first fall freeze today October 31.

It was just nine days off from the normal (1991-2020) growing season of 234 days. We can expect another freezing night for this Halloween, as lows will once again be in the mid to upper 20s and low 30s.

Another freeze warning was issued for most of the Big Country for Wednesday morning between 2:00 and 10:00 a.m. These temperatures can cause damage to outdoor crops and sensitive vegetation. Make sure to take care of unprotected outdoor plumbing to avoid pipe busts.

If you do have plans to trick-or-treat Tuesday night, make sure to bundle up and wear layers with your costume so you can comfortably enjoy the night. Winds are expected to be light this evening so there is one less thing to worry about.

Here are how the conditions are looking for this Halloween night across parts of West Texas:

Wind chill values will range between the 30s and 40s, which is not as low as they have been.

Temperatures will gradually thaw out by the end of the week to start the weekend. With us having our first freeze already, the chance for another one or two by the end of the year isn’t impossible.