As we transition into the winter season, the National Weather Service may issue a combination of frost advisories, freeze warnings and hard freeze warnings for your area — but what do these all mean?

They each have unique criteria and can have different impacts on your plants and your house, which in turn can impact how you prepare for each one.

Let's break down the differences:

Frost advisories

Criteria: Issued when the low temperature is forecast to be between 33 to 36 degrees on a clear night with light winds.

Frost can form without the temperatures creeping all the way down to freezing.

(MORE: First real cold comes this weekend)

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This is because of a combination of wind, humidity and cloud cover that allows surfaces like roofs, grass, leaves and car windshields to cool below the dew point — leaving behind that dusting of frost.

While the growing season can continue after a frost, it can damage sensitive plants. It's important to cover them or bring potted plants inside when your area could see an advisory.

Freeze warnings

Criteria: Issued when the temperature is expected to drop to 32 degrees or lower.

A freeze warning is probably the most simple to understand: when temperatures are expected to reach the freezing point for a long period of time.

You are likely most familiar with these being issued in the fall, marking the first widespread freeze in an area.

But they can also be issued in the spring at the start of the next growing season, when it's late enough to damage the new crops.

Speaking of damage — a freeze can completely wipe out many crops, so if your garden is left unprotected, this could be the end for your plants.

However, some hardy crops can still survive.

Hard freeze warnings

Criteria: Issued when the temperature is expected to drop to 28 degrees or lower for at least an hour.

A hard freeze is a good final warning that it's time to make sure your house and yard are prepared for the winter season.

Once temperatures reach 28 degrees or lower, any remaining seasonal plants and crops will likely be destroyed. There is also a threat to outdoor plumbing, including sprinkler systems.

If your area is in a hard freeze warning, you should harvest anything left in your garden, protect any outdoor plumbing and drain your sprinkler system.

Caitlin Kaiser graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences before starting her career as a digital meteorologist with weather.com.