AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – With temperatures dropping rapidly, local EMS and agriculture experts talk about ways you can protect your home, outdoor landscape, and more.

Wednesday night, we will see the coldest weather we’ve seen in about 8 months, and local experts NewsChannel 6 spoke with have some ways you can prepare. With winter just one month away, and the cold weather making its way to the CSRA, it’s time to start thinking about things like your homes, plants and pets. 

“Kind of need to get out of the summer routine. We were at 85 degrees last week, now we’re gonna be 29 degrees. So, it’s hard to get into that mentality but just need to be a little more observant and think about those things,” UGA & Richmond County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Campbell Vaughn said.

That’s why Chiquita Richardson with the Augusta Fire Department says one of the most important things to keep in mind is protecting your pipes. “There’s some stuff that you can purchase to make sure you cover your pipes to make sure that they are insulated. Insulate the exposed pipes to prevent freezing and bursting.”

And if temperatures get too cold for you and you decide to use a space heater, Richardson suggests safety first. “If you do use space heaters, we suggest, of course, that you use them correctly and safely and just keep them away from anything flammable and unplugging them when they are not in use.”

But the cold temperatures aren’t only impacting things within your home, but outside of it as well.

“It depends on kind of what plant they are; you’re really trying to protect the root system of it. So, if the root system survives, even if the plant dies down to the ground, it’s usually gonna come back up. You don’t want that, obviously with a tree or a shrub but it’s sometimes what happens,” Vaughn said. 

Vaughn recommends using some protective measures for any plants or landscape. “Possibly cover it up with a sheet, be careful about a blanket because blankets can be heavy, you’re really just kind of trying to keep a little insulation on there.”

You can expect temperatures to be in the upper 20s early Thursday morning and lower 30s on Friday.