# @nbcwashington on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DdUcETaiuoE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70520259-nbcwashington-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/3956b3e64c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-15T19:18:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) — https://gondola.cc/nbcwashington

## Caption

🏵️THESE YELLOW FLOWERS MAY BE STARTING THE COUNTDOWN TO OUR FIRST FROST. 👀🥶⁠
⁠
Weather fact or fiction: ⁠
If you’ve driven pretty much anywhere around the Mid-Atlantic lately, you’ve probably seen goldenrod EVERYWHERE.⁠
And according to an old piece of weather folklore, once goldenrod blooms, our first frost is about six weeks away.⁠
⁠
Storm Team4 meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts filmed these blooming on September 7.⁠
Six weeks later? October 19. 😳⁠
And considering October is when we typically start watching for those first frosty mornings around parts of our area… this one isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.⁠
⁠
Quick weather nerd note 🤓 Frost can form even when the air temperature is a few degrees above freezing. A freeze means the temperature actually reaches 32° or lower.⁠
⁠
So, no—the goldenrod isn’t secretly running a weather model. 😂 But as one of nature’s signs that colder mornings are getting closer?⁠
Our ancestors may have been onto something.🏵️➡️🥶⁠
FOLKLORE OR FORECAST?⁠
Lauryn is calling this one pretty darn close.⁠
⁠
👇 Have you noticed goldenrod blooming where you live?? And more importantly… are you ready for the first frost?!⁠
#Winter #firstfrost #fall #weatherlore #folklore #fallflowers #fallweather #WeatherTalk⁠

## Stats

- **Views:** 13,341
- **Likes:** 514
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 17

## Tags

fall, fallflowers, folklore, weathertalk, winter, firstfrost, fallweather, weatherlore

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