Colorado Springs and much of southeast Colorado could fall to freezing temperatures for the first time this fall overnight Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a freeze watch from 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday for 11 counties including El Paso and Pueblo.

That watch may turn into a freeze warning as chances for frigid temperatures have increased by 10% to 20% since earlier on Friday, said Makoto Moore, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

Elsewhere in the Centennial State, freeze watches or frost advisories are in effect during similar times in every county east of the divide.

Moore suggests that people in an area under a freeze watch take plants inside, cover spigots and attend to hoses. He said a hard freeze — 28 degrees or lower for three or more hours — is also possible this weekend.

The mean date for Colorado Springs’ first freeze is Oct. 1 and last year’s occurred Oct. 16, according to weather agency data. The city’s latest first freeze was Oct. 31 in 1963.

If the freeze does not occur, Colorado Springs will have to wait a while longer because there is not another opportunity at least through Tuesday.

“With these disturbances that pass by to the north, it’ll keep the winds somewhat brisk and when the winds increase like that there is less chance for us to dip down to super low temperatures,” Moore said.