A big cool down is back in Brooklyn early this week, dropping afternoon highs into the 50s through Tuesday and sending nighttime lows into the 30s and low-40s. Frosty conditions could develop tonight as temperatures fall to the 30s under a mostly clear sky and calmer winds.
People who have already started planting should cover sensitive plants or bring them inside for now. The change comes after a damp and cold start, but it also sets up a stretch of weather that is dry enough to keep fire danger on watch.
The risk is being monitored closely because moderate drought, low humidity and breezy conditions are lining up at the same time. That combination can make even a brief dry spell more troublesome than it looks on the thermometer, especially when the air stays calm enough overnight for frost to form and then turns breezy again during the day.
Temperatures rise to near seasonable levels in the 60s on Wednesday, with a few morning showers, before the second half of the week turns mainly dry and breezy with spring temperatures in the 60s and low-70s. The next chance of rain comes this weekend, and cooler temperatures are expected to return then.
For Brooklyn, the answer this week is straightforward: the warm stretch is on pause, the garden needs protection tonight, and the dry pattern is being watched because it could sharpen fire danger before rain finally arrives.
