The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for the area that includes Philomath overnight Thursday into Friday morning with a freeze watch to follow Friday night into Saturday.
The warning takes effect at 11 p.m. Thursday and remains in place until 9 a.m. Friday. Sub-freezing temperatures are expected during that period.
A freeze watch then runs from 11 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday. Under a watch, sub-freezing temperatures are possible.
Friday is forecast to be mainly sunny with a high of 62 degrees, followed by clear skies and a low of 31 overnight. Saturday brings mostly cloudy skies with some morning fog and a high of 63, with considerable cloudiness Saturday night keeping the low around 35. Winds are expected to stay light and variable throughout.
Both alerts cover the Benton County lowlands, along with the North Oregon Coast Range lowlands and the Lane County and Linn County lowlands.
According to the weather service, frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
To keep water pipes from freezing, the weather service recommends wrapping or draining them or letting faucets drip slowly. Residents are also encouraged to protect tender outdoor plants from the cold now and to consider temporarily moving cold-sensitive potted plants indoors.
Updated forecasts and alerts are available at weather.gov/pqr.