As the nights grow colder, the plant-owner begins to dread the thought of lugging indoors those heavy and over-grown potted items that have provided greenery and flowers all summer long. Can a blanket be thrown over this one? Is that one so heavy that it needs to be rolled in on a skateboard? Which one won’t fit through any door, so will need to be chopped? Are there any that won’t be missed if they’re abandoned to take their chances?

Ever since the National Weather Service decamped from Austin for San Antonio, the official forecast has provided a bit of guidance, but we’re neither north San Antonio nor south Waco. It helps to know all the micro-climates of your specific location. It’s good to take a walk in the morning and one last one at night. Bill Hecke up at KNCT 91.3-FM radio in Temple-Belton gives an in-depth forecast. Everyone has his or her favorite local weather person. And many are the times that the big-picture national maps in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal go into the mix when forming a decision about those pesky outdoor plants.

But how is it that the WSJ has always shown Austin on its maps and the NYT never has? The omission is really vexing because Austin weather seems always to be just at the edge of some system or another and without the exact location denoted, it’s sometimes tough to figure out on which side of the line of a front we are.

Anyhow, everything stays outdoors tonight, uncovered. Tomorrow and Thursday nights? Maybe some sheets and blankets, depending. A forecast can change a great deal between now and then.