Bright, clear skies helped erase the fear of a hard freeze for area growers and flower bed in the Mid-Ohio-Valley after tax day.

The third and final night of Freeze Warnings was erased this morning with strong southern flow, elevating temperatures about ten degrees per hour.

Widespread frost had been predicted for the mid-Ohio valley, and many are residents had covered their plants for each of the last three nights to protect them.

Some used plastic, which does not insulate against the cold as well as cloth or sheets.

Also, plastic lets in the sunshine and allows a green house effect to "cook" the plants with just a little sunshine in the mornings.

But fortunately, those concerns are melting as fast as the frost this morning.

The average last freeze date for the Parkersburg area is April 25, but the latest freeze in the record books is May 25th.