Polar Vortex in November

As quickly as I patted myself on the back for a decent season, a burst of cold plunged the nighttime temperature to below freezing and put our squashes in danger. 8 degrees below freezing, which drove me to google how to calculate the rate of freezing water. (Answer still elusive on google, chemical engineers or physicists please send me the equation.)

We arrived to find some snow on the blue hubbard squashes outside, with light frozen spots. I left them outside, better they stay semi-frozen than thaw out. Then I went inside the storage cabin to check the other squashes. Some of the tan-colored squashes in a far corner might have chilling injury too.  This includes the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck, and butternut squash. There were few to begin with, and this freeze is claiming additional squashes.