We actually welcome the freeze. It's actually good to have freezes this time of year.
The area's first freeze of the fall season could happen over the weekend, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Pritchett.
The coldest temperatures are expected Saturday night into Sunday morning. The projected low temperatures are just above the freezing mark - around 33 or 34 degrees - but could easily dip below the freezing mark at 32 degrees.
"I don't think we're going to get quite to freezing, at least not in our forecast yet at the Chattanooga airport specifically, which is where the climate record is," Pritchett said. "But I'm sure there are going to be several sheltered valleys that will."
If the first frost of the season happens this weekend, it will be more than a week later than it's usually expected. The average first freeze of the year in Chattanooga is Nov. 4, Pritchett said.
Temperatures will rise back up after the weekend, so the potential for the next freeze won't come until the following weekend.
At Crabtree Farms, Executive Director Sara McIntyre said her staff is looking forward to the cold snap.
"We actually welcome the freeze," McIntyre said. "It's actually good to have freezes this time of year."
The major benefit is killing off the insects and pests that eat away at the farm's crops. Most of the crops the farms grows are freeze tolerant.
But because of the unseasonably warm temperatures the area has been having the last couple of days, farmers will pay special attention to the crops that are more susceptible to cold weather like arugula, radishes and carrots.
What they'll do is put a device called a floating row cover over the vegetables to keep them warm. It's a piece of cloth that basically acts as a blanket, keeping the air inside a little warmer and if any frost develops, it will form on the piece of cloth and not the plant itself.
As for the tougher vegetables like kale and collared vegetables, the freeze will be beneficial, she said. The vegetables form natural antifreeze to combat cold weather which in turn sweetens them.
"They may even taste better," McIntyre said.
Contact staff writer Evan Hoopfer at ehoopfer@timesfreepress.com or @Evan Hoopfer on Twitter or 423-757-6731.