Arizona get's artic blast - Freeze Warning Issued!

[Randy]

The old jet stream is shooting straight down the west coast and scooping across Arizona, dumping snow in our mountains. But here in the valley of the sun, it's about to go sub 32d F.

NWS issued a freeze warning and because I'm in an outlying area, I don't benefit fromt he heat island of the city.

Statement as of 1:52 PM MST on December 26, 2008

... Freeze warning in effect from 1 am to 9 am MST Saturday...

The National Weather Service in Phoenix has issued a freeze

warning for much of south central Arizona... including the greater

Phoenix area... as well as portions of Gila and Pinal counties... from 1

am to 9 am MST Saturday.

Cold air is settling in over south central Arizona in the wake of a

vigorous cold front. This... combined with light winds and little

cloud cover will lead to freezing temperatures overnight... especially in

outlying areas of Gila... Pinal... and Maricopa counties.

The forecast low temperature for Sky Harbor Airport Saturday morning

is 38 degrees... and 27 in Globe.

A freeze warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or

highly likely. These conditions will destroy or damage crops and

other sensitive vegetation.

National Weather Service Phoenix is on the internet at

Weather.Gov/Phoenix

[Don Little]

I hope you escape this one, I know I'll be staying up late checking the temps regularly to make sure it doesn't get to low.

Don

[Randy]

The arsenal of sheets have been deployed - plumeria, hibiscus, robellini's and foxtails are ready...

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

I'm so sorry, Randy, to hear that news! It's so unfair that something like that will (or might) undo all the wonderful work that brought your plants to this point of beauty. I'm going to pray that this event is minimized and WILL NOT impact on your landscape. I cannot believe, sometimes, that nature can be so devastating to people like you, who are obviously so incredibly undeserving.

My heart goes out to you, Randy!

Paul

[DoomsDave]

So, Randy, what happened?

[Exotic Life]

It looks like every part of the world get his cold blast the last weeks and now coming weeks, also here we are on the beginning of a cold wave. We started this morning with -3.4C/25.8F

[Rod]

It got down to 31°F last night (sat morning). Tonight will be a little colder.

Rod

North Phoenix

[sonoranfans]

Actually not so bad, my area in gilbert saw 30.7F and 29.4F(sat/sun) at the local weather station. They are the two lowest temps in 11 months, and the first freezing ones since then. My bismarckias didnt even flinch. Randy, if I remember correctly, your foxtails are under sissoo tree canopy, should be no problem at all. I think after they survived the freeze of '07, they are good for a few decades, same for my bizzies. Now for 4 more weeks of potential cold, then back to the 70's, and spring planting. It sure has beena weird winter, my largest bizzie decided to open a new spear yesterday, very strange for late december.

Edited December 30, 2008 by sonoranfans

[Randy]

Situation is good.

I have a not too sophisticated Oregon Scientific digital thermometer with one sensor. It got down to 31dF the first night (26th) and 30dF the second (27th), but there was also the high humidity in the air - the frost was thick both mornings.

I had allowed some good canopy protection to grow over about 3/4 of my foxtail planting of three trees, and I covered the rest with sheets. I have it down to a science now, I move the plumeria pots, pinneapple and roystonea under my patio and pull canvas drapes closed most of the way around. Then I cover the planted hibiscus, roebelini, foxtails and the single plumeria I now have planted in the landscape. Also, some of these plantings are close to my pools edge, so I set the timer on the pump to run betweem 1 and 9am. My pool has an in-ground cleaning system that moves a lot of water around nd I think that this churning and movement of the water might marginally help the near by temperature on a freeze night.

For the most part everything appears to have done well. I have a large 3 trunk roebelini in the front though that was under a sheet that had a fair amount of frost on it, but I pulled it off before it froze to the plant material.

Here we go again into the challeging months of January and February!

[Randy]

I'm so sorry, Randy, to hear that news! It's so unfair that something like that will (or might) undo all the wonderful work that brought your plants to this point of beauty. I'm going to pray that this event is minimized and WILL NOT impact on your landscape. I cannot believe, sometimes, that nature can be so devastating to people like you, who are obviously so incredibly undeserving.

My heart goes out to you, Randy!

Paul

Paul,

I appreciate your comments, I am destined to live one day in a zone 10 climate! I have to say however that I have a lot of pride in what I have been able to sneak into this harsh place and my dividends are paid eache spring and summer. In the mean time, I enjoy the challenge of keeping these things alive and fed for optimum health and appearance. My foxtails seem to be acclimating now that they've been in place for 3 years and I've learned how to correctly feed and water them!

Best regards,

[Randy]

Actually not so bad, my area in gilbert saw 30.7F and 29.4F(sat/sun) at the local weather station. They are the two lowest temps in 11 months, and the first freezing ones since then. My bismarckias didnt even flinch. Randy, if I remember correctly, your foxtails are under sissoo tree canopy, should be no problem at all. I think after they survived the freeze of '07, they are good for a few decades, same for my bizzies. Now for 4 more weeks of potential cold, then back to the 70's, and spring planting. It sure has beena weird winter, my largest bizzie decided to open a new spear yesterday, very strange for late december.

Spear opening in December? I know that's not normal for the woody's but not sure about the bizzies? Yes, I have that sissoo and another tree behing the foxtails that I've allowed to creep over with winter in mind. My center foxtail though has relatively no coverage staight up into the night sky, so that's the one I'm most concerned about.

How are those Puerto Rican Royals doing in the green house? My double Cuban seems to be OK under the patio...I wish I had room for a green house!

[sonoranfans]

Actually not so bad, my area in gilbert saw 30.7F and 29.4F(sat/sun) at the local weather station. They are the two lowest temps in 11 months, and the first freezing ones since then. My bismarckias didnt even flinch. Randy, if I remember correctly, your foxtails are under sissoo tree canopy, should be no problem at all. I think after they survived the freeze of '07, they are good for a few decades, same for my bizzies. Now for 4 more weeks of potential cold, then back to the 70's, and spring planting. It sure has beena weird winter, my largest bizzie decided to open a new spear yesterday, very strange for late december.

Spear opening in December? I know that's not normal for the woody's but not sure about the bizzies? Yes, I have that sissoo and another tree behing the foxtails that I've allowed to creep over with winter in mind. My center foxtail though has relatively no coverage staight up into the night sky, so that's the one I'm most concerned about.

How are those Puerto Rican Royals doing in the green house? My double Cuban seems to be OK under the patio...I wish I had room for a green house!

The roystonea borinquenas are doing well, 2 in the ground and covered with netting, 1 in a 15 gallon in the shadehouse. the ones int he ground have an overall height of about 6'. Its really amazing how much faster the ones in the ground have grown. The two in the ground have trunks that are almost 2x the diameter, and 1'+ of extra overall height of the one in the 15 gallon container after 7 months. I will take off the overhead netting off the ones in the ground this year, after being in the ground developing roots for one year.

As for spears, I have lots of spears opening now on my braheas, sabals, butias, and that is not very unusual, the bizzies oenning new fronds this late is a first, as they are hot weather lovers.