A bit of snow falls on Delaware

The good news is that Delaware was removed Tuesday from forecasts of snow in the region.

And the forecasts were only slightly wrong, with a dusting of snow falling overnight on some spots in Delaware, including lower Kent County where the storm left a light icy coating of snow on cars and some grass areas .

The storm Tuesday also brought more than an inch and a half of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

The not-so-good news is that deep freezes early Wednesday and overnight Thursday could prove problematic for Delawareans who rushed to start gardens after the wearisome winter.

By 6 a.m., the temperature had dropped to 31 degrees at New Castle Airport and Dover Air Force Base, and was just above freezing at Sussex County Airport near Georgetown.

The freezes could wipe out daffodils and other early blooms that opened in last week's warmer spell.

After a teasing taste of spring that felt more like summer, the National Weather Service posted freeze warnings from 2 to 9 a.m. for both days.

Overnight low temperatures were forecast to plunge to the unseasonably harsh upper 20s or very low 30s both nights.

That's not low enough to spark Code Purple shelters for the homeless, but cold enough to freeze tender new plantings or kill sprouts.

Some patchy frost also is expected Thursday, weather service meteorologist Mitchell Gaines said Tuesday night.

By early Wednesday, the storm had dropped more than 2 inches of snow on parts of the Poconos in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday's storms dumped 1 to 1½ inches of rain on most of northern New Castle County, while the rest of the state got no more than about an inch, Gaines said.

No serious weather-related crashes or major flooding problems were reported.

Some areas in Chester County, Pa., got more than 2 inches of rain, but the most recorded in Delaware was 1.53 inches in Hockessin, he said.

Tuesday's rainfall and Wednesday winds of about 15 mph would not worsen how plants fare in the freezes, Gaines said.

But clearing skies after the storm's passage will let temperatures fall faster Wednesday night than remaining clouds did Tuesday night, he said.

While many gardeners or farmers may not have begun their spring plantings, Gaines said that "the growing season starts April 15."

The possibility of temperatures that dip to the mid- to upper-20s causes "widespread concern" about plant loss for gardeners and farmers alike, he said.

Gaines said he knows of no meteorological research that backs up an old saying that safe outdoor planting begins on Mother's Day, typically celebrated the second Sunday in May.

But Gaines said the "overall risk" of nighttime freezes and frosts clearly is diminished with the passage of another month of spring.

Snow actually can insulate plants from the effects of sub-freezing air, according to the weather service. Delaware typically gets an April snow every few years.

For now, he said, Delaware residents can expect a few cold days before daily high temperatures climb back to the 50s.

For the weekend, however, take heart. Highs in the 50s are due statewide both days, Gaines said, calling the change "a welcome warming."

Staff reporter Terri Sanginiti contributed to this story.

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.