Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

2018 Florida Freeze


Alan_Tampa

Recommended Posts

My wife's car had the same thing, rain drops frozen to the hood. Tonight looks to be colder. Not liking this updated NWS forecast discussion:

Guidance remains in lock step that even lower temperatures are on
tap for tonight. After looking at ensemble guidance from both the
GFS and ECMWF, have opted to upgrade both Volusia and Lake
counties to a Hard Freeze Warning (definition: when forecast
temperatures are expected to be 27 degrees or lower for two or
more hours). In Volusia County, expect the hard freeze to be
confined to areas away from the immediate coast and generally west
of I-95. Elsewhere, widespread temperatures at or below freezing
are expected, outside of the barrier islands of the Space and
Treasure Coasts.
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Eric in Orlando said:

34F here at Leu Gardens

33F at my house in Altamonte Springs

That's pretty good for Altamonte Springs considering everybody else

Brevard County, Fl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our forecasted predictions have been slightly off for the good and bad. I am located in the Pensacola area 2 miles from the gulf with East Bay directly north. So far my lows have been 28,23,33,33 and tonight they have us at 29 but it has been slightly warmer than the last two nights predictions. And it never forecasted us to drop under 25 according to Weather.com

Tyler

Coastal Zone 9a

''Karma is a good girl, she just treats you exactly how you treat her"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty good in Jupiter, 3 outside thermometers all showed 40f this morning. I have a garage full of Jamaican tall seedlings though.

 

  • Upvote 1

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this just came out of the blue, not good.  Freeze Warning.

 

FreezeWarning.PNG

Edited by Palmaceae

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the big freeze tonight, weather.gov now has dropped Gainesville (my house) down to 22 degrees.  Weather.com doesn't agree and has Gainesville as dropping down to 24 degrees.  My backyard thermometer is usually a couple of degrees warmer than the forecast anyway, but 22 degrees is going to be problematic.

I received a report that my backyard thermometer has recorded 27 as my coldest night this year.  That must have been last night's freeze, and I think it was 27-point-sometihng but wasn't given the details.  27 degrees won't be fatal to my landscaping, but I am really concerned about multiple consecutive freezing nights and the number of hours below 32 degrees.  When I get a freeze, usually it drops below freezing quickly and shoots back up again.  That's really not how this week is shaping up.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a feeling tonight will make 2018 a 9B year for me. :bummed:

Last night was surprisingly cold, here are a few observations I made from looking at Central Florida's temperature data on Wunderground:

  • Anna Maria Island was once again the microclimate champion with a low of 44f. 
  • Southern Pinellas County did pretty good, even towards the interior of the peninsula which is usually kind of chilly. 
  • Coastal Brevard did good too (as expected), temps were mostly mid to upper 30s on the barrier island. 
  • Tampa got it pretty bad relative to other parts of Central Florida. One station in New Tampa dropped all the way down to 24.8f! That's colder than the stations I saw in typically frigid Brooksville. 
  • S. Tampa wasn't immune to this one, I noticed several locations experienced a mild freeze. Guess the bay is cooling off now. 
  • Coastal Volusia County had a mild freeze. 
  • Most of Lakeland had a mild freeze.
  • Somehow Orlando was spared again. Metro Orlando was colder than Tampa early in the evening, but Tampa dropped fast from 12:15am to 3:00am while Orlando barely dropped at all. I'm not sure why that happened, but my best guess is colder air hit us earlier due to being further west.
  • Upvote 3

Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RedRabbit I had an absolute low of 31.1F.  As you stated, some areas didn't freeze here in Lakeland.  This time I got the short end of the stick.  We are supposed to hit 30F, but may go lower (a.k.a. 9B).  I didn't have much in the way of frost this time, even with the lower temperatures.

@Eric in Orlando Those are mild lows.  Typically, I'm right there with you, but not this time.

@Yunder Wækraus According to www.weather.com, Pahokee bottomed off at 48F yesterday and will have a low of 39F today.

  • Upvote 2

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

   So far , on this early January Freeze 2018 , morning No. one  (this Thurs. am) was  31.3   here on the mainland side

of the Halifax River,  aka ICW.    ( Daytona Beach area.)          Frost evident , and the below 32 part lasted about 45 min. at my house .

2 more nights to go , and Friday am most likely will be a bit colder than this morning was  .       29 at the airport official station .

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right. Tomorrow night will be the last night of the cold snap, but the worst night is supposed to be tonight.  However, I see that weather.com has just revised some places in Florida slightly warmer for tonight than it was forecasting just two hours ago.  My forecast just went up a degree - a welcome sight.  Check your forecast again at weather.com and you might find that it has improved in the past hour or so.  Weather.com is by far the most accurate predictor for me.  The other three major weather sources are often incorrect, at least in my experience.

Once this freak convergence of whether systems has passed, I hope it means that we'll be spared for the rest of winter. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My forecast went up 2 degrees then back down 1 degree, so they are saying 31F maybe out here in Odessa area.

  • Upvote 1

Looking for:  crytostachys hybrids, Pseudophoenix sargentii Leucothrinax morrisii, livingstona canarensis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All.  I just moved to Florida and bought my first house.  I have Bottle Palm, Christmas, Alexander, Foxtail, and Sylvester.  All planted about 7 months ago...except the 10ft Sylvester was planted 2 months ago.  The bottle appears to be the only one that is sensitive to freezing temperatures.  In St Pete it hasn't gotten below 37ish so it looks like I'm ok.  

I read elsewhere that in the event of a freeze, I should tie up the fronds (like a ponytail?) and put a blanket over the "head".  Is the head the "bulb"?  Any recommendations on a specific type of blanket or cloth that is commonly used by folks in this community?  I couldn't find an answer to this on PT, but I'd be happy to read another thread if you are aware of one.

I love that I have found this community.  I have two other pressing issues, but will see what I can find before I post a thread...with photos.  

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Mike

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@McdeltaT Hello Mike and welcome to Florida and the forum!  The recent cold weather has the forum jumping with activity, so you're in the right place.

My post at the bottom of this thread is an illustration of this protection method. 

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/55490-coconut-palms-vs-cold/

I'm inland ~80minutes from you, so I do get a little colder on average.  I only have a few palms that require protection, and they are all different varieties of coconuts.  Feel free to post a thread or private message with your issues if you have trouble finding a thread that provides answers.

@Chatta It's been doing the same over here.  One minute 29F, next minute 31F, later 32F, then down to 30F, rinse/repeat.  It will be somewhere between 28F and 35F here... that's my prediction ;)

  • Upvote 3

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

 

@Chatta It's been doing the same over here.  One minute 29F, next minute 31F, later 32F, then down to 30F, rinse/repeat.  It will be somewhere between 28F and 35F here... that's my prediction ;)

FWIW, it is about 2f warmer now than it was at this time last night. So far so good, but we'll see what happens over the next 8hrs.

  • Upvote 3

Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, McdeltaT said:

Hi All.  I just moved to Florida and bought my first house.  I have Bottle Palm, Christmas, Alexander, Foxtail, and Sylvester.  All planted about 7 months ago...except the 10ft Sylvester was planted 2 months ago.  The bottle appears to be the only one that is sensitive to freezing temperatures.  In St Pete it hasn't gotten below 37ish so it looks like I'm ok.  

I read elsewhere that in the event of a freeze, I should tie up the fronds (like a ponytail?) and put a blanket over the "head".  Is the head the "bulb"?  Any recommendations on a specific type of blanket or cloth that is commonly used by folks in this community?  I couldn't find an answer to this on PT, but I'd be happy to read another thread if you are aware of one.

I love that I have found this community.  I have two other pressing issues, but will see what I can find before I post a thread...with photos.  

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Mike

Make sure that you remove the covering during during the day.  Palms can be burned if covered with plastics in the sunlight.

Brevard County, Fl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Woke up early this morning to warm up my greenhouse (Got it up to 51F while outside is somewhere around 37F as of 5:00) 
Newest forecast is saying 33F, and right now it is 35F so im feeling hopefull I'll avoid the freeze.

yessssssssss.jpg

Edited by Chatta
  • Upvote 2

Looking for:  crytostachys hybrids, Pseudophoenix sargentii Leucothrinax morrisii, livingstona canarensis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

some of my plants in my gh

26613647_542466839467147_435687315_o.jpg

26235043_542466769467154_1184242269_n.jpg

26241145_542466752800489_1256930695_n.jpg

26550981_542466726133825_994076943_n.jpg

26241052_542466696133828_1738694490_n.jpg

  • Upvote 2

Looking for:  crytostachys hybrids, Pseudophoenix sargentii Leucothrinax morrisii, livingstona canarensis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went down to 36 at my house, thank God it did not go any lower as we were under a freeze warning.

  • Upvote 1

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was down to 38 outside relatively closer to the house. Further down in my property got chillier because my banana plants are brown (don't care about them). My Sabal mauritiiformis had a thin layer of ice over it, but I think it will be okay. :hmm: Please let it be okay!

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, McdeltaT said:

Hi All.  I just moved to Florida and bought my first house.  I have Bottle Palm, Christmas, Alexander, Foxtail, and Sylvester.  All planted about 7 months ago...except the 10ft Sylvester was planted 2 months ago.  The bottle appears to be the only one that is sensitive to freezing temperatures.  In St Pete it hasn't gotten below 37ish so it looks like I'm ok.  

I read elsewhere that in the event of a freeze, I should tie up the fronds (like a ponytail?) and put a blanket over the "head".  Is the head the "bulb"?  Any recommendations on a specific type of blanket or cloth that is commonly used by folks in this community?  I couldn't find an answer to this on PT, but I'd be happy to read another thread if you are aware of one.

I love that I have found this community.  I have two other pressing issues, but will see what I can find before I post a thread...with photos.  

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Mike

WELCOME! Please share lots of pics! :yay:

I'm in inland Naples and have four bottle palms in the ground. They're pretty unprotected and do just fine through light frosts.

  • Upvote 1

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Because I notice a number of relatively new to Palms folks here , I'll post this January info .   It may help to put this freeze 

in perspective .  This is for the Daytona area , of course , but each can basically extrapolate the data to their own area .

 

24490663765_65b9b63752_z.jpgDaytona January by Bill H, on Flickr

 

12210674524_db8e76e092_z.jpgJanuary 1985 1 copy copy by Bill H, on Flickr

Cold happens .

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The low came in at 32.9f which is better than forecast.:)

Edited by RedRabbit
  • Upvote 1

Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clicking around on weather underground these were the lows here locally:

West Cocoa near interstate 95: 27F

Merritt Island: 36F

Cocoa Beach: 37F

Brevard County, Fl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went outside in my front yard at 3 a.m. with my thermocouple, and it read 39 degrees in the open and 41 under my carrotwood tree canopy. I went back out again at 5 a.m. and it read 37 degrees in the open yard. I all but knew then that the University of Florida's Sebring, Florida's FAWN site predicted low of 28 degrees wasn't going to happen, thankfully.

I went inside and checked on the Sebring FAWN site and saw that they had (sometime over last night) revised upward the predicted low to 31 degrees.

Ultimately, Sebring FAWN recorded a low of 36 degrees at 7:30 a.m. Lake Placid Elementary school (which has a STEM weather station connected to Weatherunderground system) recorded 36.6 for a low. So this morning was actually almost 6 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. I had some frost damage yesterday on sky vines, Tibochina heteromalla, and Cassia alta that were exposed in the open yard. My coconut palm seems to be fine.

  • Upvote 2

Mad about palms

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35F here at Leu Gardens (previous night was 34F)

31F at my house in Altamonte Springs (previous night was 33F)

No frost last night

Curious to see how the Sabinaria magnifica and the 3 Cyrtostachys hybrids fare.

Astrocaryum aculeatissimum was already showing burn yesterday.

 

  • Upvote 1

Eric

Orlando, FL

zone 9b/10a

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Bill H2DB said:

  Because I notice a number of relatively new to Palms folks here , I'll post this January info .   It may help to put this freeze 

in perspective .  This is for the Daytona area , of course , but each can basically extrapolate the data to their own area .

 

24490663765_65b9b63752_z.jpgDaytona January by Bill H, on Flickr

 

12210674524_db8e76e092_z.jpgJanuary 1985 1 copy copy by Bill H, on Flickr

Cold happens .

 

 

UGGGH, I remember the Jan. 1985 freeze well. It was the 2nd of the 3 big 1980s's freezes.

That year a big clump of Queen's Tears Bromeliad  (Billbergia nutans) growing in the yard totally froze. The Dec. 1983 didn't damage it. The roots were still alive so I figured they would regrow like other bromeliads did after the ';83 freeze. So I just mowed the dead foliage off in Feb. and soon after it flowered. A few dozen inflorescences with no foliage. Later in spring it did regrow and is still alive today. 

  • Upvote 1

Eric

Orlando, FL

zone 9b/10a

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't seen my yard in the light yet, but I am guessing things are mostly okay. Just a green sapote looked a bit wilty  this morning, while bananas had some evidence of burn (saw ice on them yesterday). We will see what's up after a few days. 

  • Upvote 1

Tampa, Florida

Zone - 10a

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far my lowest temp for very short periods around 5-6AM have been 40, 39, and 39 last night.  So far so good.  Only my heliconia has seemed to dislike the cold so far.   The coldest daytime high has been 50.   Im in far south Saint Pete in Pinellas point, out in the water. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Eric in Orlando said:

35F here at Leu Gardens (previous night was 34F)

31F at my house in Altamonte Springs (previous night was 33F)

No frost last night

Curious to see how the Sabinaria magnifica and the 3 Cyrtostachys hybrids fare.

Astrocaryum aculeatissimum was already showing burn yesterday.

 

When was the last time Leu saw a freeze? 2010?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got a look at yard just now after not seeing in daylight for the last few days. The green sapote already mentioned is unhappy, bananas here and there some bronzing. My most exposed inga has a few curled leaves up top, but otherwise looks okay here. As I said earlier, a few days to see what other latent damage shows up. I dont expect too much more to have been damaged. 

Tampa, Florida

Zone - 10a

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the low at my house in Tampa was 31.3˚ F. I have a few Pritchardias at the house, so I'll be able to post some interesting stuff in the freeze damage section once the damage becomes apparent. 

  • Upvote 1

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 for 1 hour here in Daytona Beach Shores. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Lets hope those 80's freezes are a thing of the past. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My lowest this week was 35, and my Pritchardia pacifica's are showing minor damage which is expected. And of course the coconuts show a bit on the lower fronds, nothing that normal people would notice but I do :D

I just pray that this is it for this winter season! Tonights forecast low is 39, so looks like us in the Cape stayed above freezing this past artic blast.

 

  • Upvote 2

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/30/2017, 5:17:56, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

@kinzyjr I just looked up the Lakeland weather underground forecast and it looks like you have consecutive days @ 50/30, 50/30, 49/30 and 51/31 forecasted so it looks like the FL forecast is doing the same thing ours did the last few days.

They had the yo-yo effect going on for sure.  Here is what actually happened thus far on Weather.com vs. what I measured on my thermometer :

Lakeland, FL (Weather.com)   Lakeland, FL (My Measurements)
                 
Jan. 2018   Jan. 2018
Day High Low Cond.   Day High Low Cond.
1 61 40     1 61.4 42.1  
2 54 40 Rain   2 54.2 43.1 Rain
3 53 35 Rain   3 53.1 34.8 Rain
4 54 32     4 56.2 31.1  
5 48 34     5 58.4 34.4  

On the morning with the 31.1F, my coldest morning, that reading was taken at 6am.  By the time I left my home at 7:15am, it was 36F.

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...