Covington County residents woke up Monday morning to chilly temperatures that had many remarking it was the traditional “cold snap before Easter.”

But with yards bursting with colors from azaleas, dogwood and wisteria, those same people may be wondering if the temperatures will drop low enough to kill the buds?

Charles Simon, an extension agent with the Auburn Cooperative Extension Agency, said the county should “fair pretty well” as daytime temperatures are expected to peak at 58 degrees but dip to 35 degrees tonight.

“That’s just as long as it doesn’t get below freezing and no other cold fronts move in,” Simon said. “But really, there’s not much difference between 32 degrees and 35 degrees, so it wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and cover sensitive plants or bring them into a covered area.”

Simon said a prime example of plants needing protection during cold temperatures would be citrus trees and any flowering plants.

“We always have the potential for micro bursts in some areas – or areas where the temperature is colder in one place that it is another,” he said. “We’ve all seen those areas that have spotted frost on it. With that potential, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so I’d bring those plants indoors and put them in an unheated room like a garage.”