As warm temperatures sweep across the Plains this week and snow cover is at dramatically low levels for January, we’re seeing the impacts of unseasonably warm weather this winter.

While it might feel nice to have an unusual warm weekend in January, it can be very problematic for the plants in your garden.

Winter temperature fluctuations can put plant health and survival at risk. When consistent cold temperatures arrive in fall, plants are meant to enter dormancy, a state where growth processes slow down and plants develop cold hardiness to survive winter conditions.

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Warm upswings can trick plants into breaking dormancy prematurely. According to Iowa State University Extension, when temperatures remain above forty degrees for several days, plants may begin to emerge from dormancy, with sap starting to flow and buds beginning to swell or even open.

When these warm spells are followed by a return to freezing temperatures, plants suffer damage in a few ways:

• Cellular damage: Once plants have begun to actively grow, their cells contain more water. When temperatures drop below freezing again, this water freezes and expands, rupturing cell walls and causing tissue death.
• Bud damage: Spring-flowering trees and shrubs form their flower buds during the previous growing season. Early warm spells followed by freezes can kill these dormant buds, eliminating that year's flowers and potential fruit.
• Root damage: Freeze-thaw cycles can cause soil heaving, which may expose or damage shallow root systems.

Fruit trees, including peaches, cherries, and apples, can be particularly vulnerable, potentially losing entire crops when early blooms are killed by frost.

If you have spring-flowering bulbs, they may emerge too early and suffer leaf damage.

Perennials that break dormancy early may experience dieback of new growth, weakening the plants overall in the long term.

As temperature fluctuations are becoming more common in winter, the University of Illinois Extension notes that plants adapted to local conditions may become increasingly mismatched with changing winter patterns, leading to more frequent injury.