It was a quiet night. While the wind had blown ferociously all day long, it had since subsided and things were calm. Maybe too calm. The stars shown brightly but not bright enough to keep The Killer at bay. No, this time the deed was going to be done.
It was about midnight. All normal folks have since drifted off in their cozy beds for dreams of far off lands and wild adventures. And was now the time The Killer could do its best work! The Killer has been threatening to do its work for a couple of weeks now, but this time it knew it was going to succeed in the dastardly doings, sneaking from town to town, killing freely while everyone slept and few knew about its work, and even they were powerless to stop it, despite their earlier warnings The Killer would be on the loose tonight.
As the wee hours wore on, The Killer slowly slipped southeastward, taking everything in its deadly grip as it went. Nothing would be spared it thought! Suddenly, a glint of light began to peak in the eastern horizon and The Killer knew its time was up. It would soon have to retreat into hiding. But tomorrow night… Yes, tomorrow night. Things will again be perfect and The Killer can once again roam the area and finish the grand work it had begun this night.
Yes, last night was the first killing freeze this fall for the South Plains area. At least parts of it. Mostly the northwest half of the South Plains and most of the Texas Panhandle. It was early for some folks, as much as two weeks early. Just about on time for others. Temps as low as 26F were recorded by the West Texas mesonet last night.
It had begun to look like a second spring, with the recent abundance of rain about a week ago and the more recent warm days. Everything had really greened up and had a growth spurt. It all looks dull today. The rest of the leaves on the annual trees should go ahead and fall off, and the grasses will be turning yellow now. I guess the good side is one more mowing and I can put it away for the winter.
It’s not over yet. While the days look to be darn right outstanding for the next week, it’s going to be hiney freezing chilly at night. It may turn out to be even colder tonight than last, and freeze warnings are in effect tonight for the entire area.
Yes indeed. Winter is just around the corner.
