WEATHER / CLIMATE

2,105 topics in this forum

1. 

   Trends in Polar Vortex and Polar Jet Stream Position w/ Climate Change

   March 20 by ChrisA

   • 6 replies
   • 211 views

   Hello PalmTalk members, As all of us in the Central/Eastern US are aware, our dreams of trouble-free palm growing and increasing of climate zones designations, have been more an more confounded by freak and very severe cold weather plummeting all the way to the Gulf Coast, often annihilating cold sensitive palms in these regions. I happened to have the below video (posted by PBS Terra) recommended to me in my YouTube feed and thought that this was valuable to share as it makes a lot of sense in what the reality has been in spite of recent zone jumps being published by the USDA. Hope you find this as interesting as I did.

   

   Last reply by Foxpalms, March 21

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3. 

   USDA climate zone map updated

   March 13 by Foggy Paul

   • 1 follower
   • 16 replies
   • 1.8k views

   Do people know about this? Apparently the map was updated in November to reflect the last 30 years of climate data, and quite a few areas have been upgraded. Link for those who can access Washington Post articles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/climate-change-backyards-plants-birds-migration/?itid=hp_opinions_p002_f001 And a link to the new map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template You can search for your zip code and see whether it has changed. Sadly (or not), our zone remains 10a, cooler than most of San Francisco which is 10b.

   

   Last reply by Bkue, March 16

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4. 

   Evrotas Valley summer average highs (beats Cordoba)

   March 12 by southathens

   • 1 reply
   • 174 views

   Following up from a previous topic where we hypothesized than areas further inland and North of Sparta would have higher summer average maxes Well it appears that the National Observatory of Athens has been running a secondary Hydrometeorological station in the depths of the Evrotas Valley around 10 km North of Sparta the past 4 years. Below some pics of the Evrotas station and its position relative to Sparta WMO met station. And below is how Evrotas NOA station looks the past 4 years. Notice the particularly pronounced summer average highs. Especially that July 40.5C average max. Again we are talking about only 4 years of…

   

   Last reply by southathens, March 25

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5. 

   An analysis of the historical occurrence of freezing temperatures in Brownsville, Texas

   February 19 by Sabal_Louisiana

   • 9 replies
   • 469 views

   I am intrigued that such a southerly location might experience temperatures below freezing so I set set out to see just how often they occur there and if any trends are taking place.. The station used for official climatological data is at Brownsville/South Padre Island Intl. Airport located at 25.9146, -97.4231, 20 ft. above m.s.l., a few miles east of city center. It is representative of the typical meteorological conditions of the local area. Primarily, let's focus on the period 2000-2024, with data for the period easily available in tabular form from the NWS Brownsville webpage. The average annual minimum temperature for this nearly 25 year perio…

   

   Last reply by richtrav, February 29

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6. 

   Naturally occurring tropical plants as an indication of climate/'zones'

   February 4 by Jimbean

   • 6 replies
   • 365 views

   On this site, look under the "map" tab and zoom in on Florida. These are tropical trees and shrubs: Spanish stopper (Eugenia foetida) · iNaturalist Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) · iNaturalist Blolly (Guapira discolor) · iNaturalist Satinleaf (Chrysophyllum oliviforme) · iNaturalist Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba diversifolia) · iNaturalist areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) · iNaturalist Black Ironwood (Krugiodendron ferreum) · iNaturalist Florida Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) · iNaturalist White Indigoberry (Randia aculeata) · iNaturalist Simpson's Stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) · iNaturalist sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera) …

   

   Last reply by SubTropicRay, February 8

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7. 

   Areca palms turning yellow.

   January 27 by Mr. Flagg

   • 3 replies
   • 183 views

   Hi, first time poster here and palm tree novice. I live in Oceanside Ca about 8 miles east of the Ocean. I planted 7 Areca palms this last summer in August, they are about 4 tall. They were very green when I planted them now they are turning yellow and some of the leafs are turning brown and frizzled at the tips. I have irrigation that runs 3 times a week for 15 minutes at 3am. Could they be overwatered? I flowed the instructions the tree seller gave me as far a fertilizer goes. They are 3’ from a tall fence and they do get sun most of the day until late afternoon when it goes behind my house. Is this normal for these palms in winter in my location or am I killing t…

   

   Last reply by Silas_Sancona, January 30
8. 

   Tropical rain in the subtropics weather pattern

   January 27 by happypalms

   • 1 reply
   • 138 views

   There was a cyclone near cairns far north Australia crossing land around Thursday with it travelling inland now bringing rain down south it’s an amazing event we do get the the very rare cyclonic weather patterns now called the east coast low weather pattern bringing rain from the north also when the north of Australia has a wet season annually we often get our rain from the top end of Australia the inland southerly winds combined with tropical north wind coming into great affect and that’s when the best wet weather in summer is at its best meaning great palm growing weather in summer with a combination of heat you have pretty well much the same growing conditions as cair…

   

   Last reply by happypalms, January 27
9. 

   Flooding in San Diego!

   January 25 by DoomsDave

   • 3 replies
   • 271 views

   Yike a Rooney! Some places got like 5" in a day on Monday. Hope you and your families and gardens are safe!

   

   Last reply by Butch, February 7

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10. 

    whati is the thursday freeze prognosis for North FL

    January 14 by edbrown_III

    • 1 reply
    • 218 views

    what is a good site to get freeze forecast for Jacksonville and other cities in North Florida. Still have many plants to hustle in the big gree house ---- salute

    

    Last reply by Brian M, January 14

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11. 

    Need your help and ideas for planting Cocos Nucifera on Madeira Island (North)

    January 11 by IlyaIvanov

    • 3 followers
    • 29 replies
    • 695 views

    Hello everyone! I'm reaching out for your valuable help and ideas regarding the proper planting of Cocos Nucifera (coconut palm) in the northern region of Madeira Island. Your expertise and insights will be greatly appreciated. Please share any tips, recommendations, or experiences you may have. Thank you! Hardiness Zone is 11b, more accurate climate data for this location: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/São_Vicente,_Madeira#Climate

    

    Last reply by Pargomad, January 24

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12. 

    Question about past Climatological data

    January 11 by Southwesternsol

    • 4 replies
    • 194 views

    Apologies if this isn't the right sub-forum. Lately it's been miserably cold, which sucks for my palm. However, I was looking at the climatological data for the month on weather.gov, and I noticed the temeratures are a little higher than what the station was reporting the day of. I've noticed this before, but admittedly as someone who is a bit of a climate and weather nerd, I'm not sure why this happens. There was a news article recently about my local weather station getting new equipment which would help improve data and predictions. Anyone with a little more expertise know why this happens? For reference, I was seeing temps topping out at like 28-30 the last week …

    

    Last reply by SeanK, January 13

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13. 

    Tennessee upcoming freeze

    January 10 by Landasaw

    • 1 follower
    • 6 replies
    • 363 views

    Looking at possible drop to zero or below next Tuesday Nashville area. This sucks.

    

    Last reply by Landasaw, January 24

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14. 

    I managed this rain and wind well .

    January 9 by WSimpson

    • 0 replies
    • 96 views

    The only thing I had here was heavy rain and some wind , but I heard other areas near me had tornado damage . Pretty badass storm though . That line of storms came right through me and headed east towards Raleigh . And then when it was all done ; a double rainbow . I hope everybody didn't take too much damage with this monster storm . Will

    

    Last reply by WSimpson, January 9
15. 

    Texas 2024 1 2

    January 9 by Meangreen94z

    • 64 replies
    • 2.6k views

    This upcoming January 14-16th event is looking more and more like the December 2022 event. Although along the coast they are predicting rain, we are forecasted to be dry through then. I’m seeing 17-19°F predicted in Central Texas Monday night, currently, but based on the last few years will assume it will drop further. Dallas may see 12°F or lower.

    

    Last reply by RFun, March 9

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16. 

    Florida climate maps

    January 7 by Jimbean

    • 1 reply
    • 215 views

    Hard drive dump: vegetation_map_large.pdf

    

    Last reply by NC_Palms, January 9

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17. 

    Frost warning app?

    December 15, 2023 by Than

    • 0 replies
    • 158 views

    I bet this question has been asked before but new apps are created every day so it's worth asking. I am looking for a weather app that sends a warning/notification when frost is expected in my area. Not freeze (below 0C), cos that is easy; I am talking about frost that can happen even above 0C / 32 F. Does such an app exist? I know meteo stations can do that but those that do usually are quite costly.

    

    Last reply by Than, December 15, 2023

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18. 

    Sparta vs Cordoba

    December 2, 2023 by southathens

    • 4 replies
    • 352 views

    Could Cordoba in Andalusia, Spain lose in the near future its title as Europe's hottest summer mean max location to Sparta in the Evrotas Valley, Greece? Below you can check Cordoba's summer mean maxes And here is Sparta So here is a hypothesis: As you can already see Cordoba stands at 36.9C mean max for the hottest month, while Sparta stands at 36.0C. However Cordoba's data come from a passive Stevenson Screen station while Sparta's come from a fan aspirated station. Here in Greece due to our extremely rich fan aspirated stations network from the National Observatory of Athens we have noticed that when we run parallel comparisons with passive SS …

    

    Last reply by Phoenikakias, December 22, 2023

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19. 

    Winterizing contradictions

    December 1, 2023 by Than

    • 16 replies
    • 295 views

    I am considering winterizing methods and I read lots of advice online. However, some of them seem to contradict each other. Can anyone help me clear the mental fog? 1. Cover plants under tall evergreen trees to stop frost from falling on plants and also to trap heat VS use deciduous trees so that sun rays can pass through in the winter and warm plants up. 2. Mulch the soil around the soil to insulate it VS keep soil clear because it absorbs heat during the day and releases it during the night. 3. Keep the soil dry during cold spells to avoid freezing the roots VS water the plants because wet soil absorbs much more heat (again, if there is mulch on it, how c…

    

    Last reply by Foxpalms, December 2, 2023

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20. 

    Palm growth in the fall/winter

    November 27, 2023 by Ben F.

    • 1 follower
    • 0 replies
    • 175 views

    Hi all, I was curious about palm growth in the fall/winter. I'm in Southern California, zone 10a/b, it doesn't get much colder than upper 30's in the late fall/winter, typically not warmer than lower 70's during the day. I was curious about how palm trees grow during this season, specifically Queen palms. From what I read, they are still growing, but once the soil gets colder, not as much? I've noticed more palms around this area, including mine, seem to be doing the nutrient pulling from lower fronds (more yellowing), while still growing new fronds. Is there something about this time of year that makes palms use more of their own fronds, rather than nutrients/fertil…

    

    Last reply by Ben F., November 27, 2023
21. 

    Winter 23/24 in UK & Europe with an early freeze! 1 2

    November 27, 2023 by UK_Palms

    • 50 replies
    • 1.2k views

    After the crappy winter last year, it seems we are going to be starting this winter with below average temperatures as well. Far from ideal. Thankfully it won’t be too extreme as it is quite early on, limiting the extent of cold, but it is still quite a significant cold wave either way. And this appears to be effecting almost the entire continent too. This is coming down from Scandinavia and the Siberian arctic. Any cold will be heavily moderated / watered down by the seas around the British Isles, before it arrives on these shores. Here are the ECMWF and GFS runs. They are very similar looking now… both rather cold and wintry. I don’t …

    

    Last reply by UK_Palms, December 4, 2023

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    • uk
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22. 

    General 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Discussion 1 2

    November 17, 2023 by JJPalmer

    • 2 followers
    • 42 replies
    • 1.8k views

    Jumping off the FL-specific thread, I figured I'd start a general discussion on the release of the latest map by the USDA: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ Kicking things off, a few interesting things I've found: Inclusion of a significant amount of 10a throughout SE Louisiana including a small section in DT New Orleans along with a *very* small amount of 10b Northernmost extent of 10a extends into SW Oregon (Brookings) Poor representation of cold sinks in microclimates throughout the Rockies: Jefferson, CO hit -24f a couple of weeks ago during a fairly typical October cold snap, but they're listed at 5a (-20f to -15f) and will routinely fall …

    

    Last reply by KsLouisiana, January 27

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23. 

    2023 USDA Zone Map for Florida 1 2

    November 14, 2023 by RedRabbit

    • 3 followers
    • 51 replies
    • 5.9k views
    

    Last reply by Aceraceae, February 7

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24. 

    Cyclone Ciarán (northwest Europe)

    November 1, 2023 by UK_Palms

    • 1 follower
    • 11 replies
    • 616 views

    So it looks like this storm system is going to smash straight into us in the next 12-24 hours. I was hoping it would head further south and go through France, but it looks like the eye of the storm will pass directly through central England now, with the worst winds on the southern end of its tail, affecting the south coast of England and northern France the worst. The latest run on France’s AROME model has 150kmh+ winds over the Isles of Scilly and exposed parts of southern England. The Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey looks like they could be devastated, potentially with 180kmh winds. AROME is a fairly accurate model in the shorter t…

    

    Last reply by kinzyjr, November 12, 2023

    • cyclone
    • hurricane
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      • hurricane
      • storm
      • uk
      • england

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25. 

    Hurricane Otis

    October 25, 2023 by JohnAndSancho

    • 6 replies
    • 288 views

    Good Lord - from a tropical storm to a category 5 in a matter of hours? That's crazy scary. Good vibes for Acapulco and all of the impacted areas. There's no way to be prepared or evacuate anything intensifying THAT rapidly. Scary scary stuff.

    

    Last reply by JohnAndSancho, October 26, 2023

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26. 

    Expected first rounds of real cold fronts Central Florida

    October 24, 2023 by D. Morrowii

    • 1 follower
    • 25 replies
    • 801 views

    Question for the Central Florida weather watching folks. Is there an expected time period for the first solid cold fronts to arrive? I imagine it will coincide with the shortest days of the year but I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure out when I need to re-enclose my makeshift greenhouse. I want to think that I’m pretty safe until after Thanksgiving but I don't want to assume… I usually don’t start moving any seedlings or think about protecting anything until I hear the forecast call for something below 50 F

    

    Last reply by Alan_Tampa, December 29, 2023

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