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Florida Freeze Watch: Jan-Feb 2021


Matthew92

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17 minutes ago, Hombre de Palmas said:

They had a freeze watch out earlier, but now we are under the Frost Advisory. We already had a light frost last night so this is insult to injury.

Well, a reality check is dished out from time to time whether we want one or not.

How far are are you from the ocean? I remember a cold weather event with freeze potential years ago for Brevard, we were spared on the barrier island by a marine layer that formed over the ocean and moved inland.  There was zero mention of that happening in the forecast and recall the NWS forecaster explaining it the following morning in the discussion.  

When I started my garden, I remember being nervous every winter about the possibility of losing plants to frost/freeze events. Don't get me wrong, losing palms is terrible but I have so many palms in pots that I would love to plant but don't have room, the potted palms are metaphorically sitting on the bench waiting for an opportunity to get in the game.  

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1 minute ago, IHB1979 said:

How far are are you from the ocean? I remember a cold weather event with freeze potential years ago for Brevard, we were spared on the barrier island by a marine layer that formed over the ocean and moved inland.  There was zero mention of that happening in the forecast and recall the NWS forecaster explaining it the following morning in the discussion.  

When I started my garden, I remember being nervous every winter about the possibility of losing plants to frost/freeze events. Don't get me wrong, losing palms is terrible but I have so many palms in pots that I would love to plant but don't have room, the potted palms are metaphorically sitting on the bench waiting for an opportunity to get in the game.  

We are about 4 miles from the intracoastal. This is our fourth winter here, so not a lot of history, but this has been the worst of the four. We had seen only a light frost one other time a few years ago on neighboring roofs, so this has been a learning experience.

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Not looking good over here. There may end up being too much dry air at the surface for heavy frost, but conditions are ripening for a significant freeze. 

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Well - here we go! NWS forecast low is 43°; based on what I’ve seen so far I’m assuming I’ll drop into the upper 30’s tonight. We shall see. Putting a secondary thermometer sensor under a bit of canopy from the neighbors oaks to see if I see a major difference in temperature across the yard.

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10 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Well - here we go! NWS forecast low is 43°; based on what I’ve seen so far I’m assuming I’ll drop into the upper 30’s tonight. We shall see. Putting a secondary thermometer sensor under a bit of canopy from the neighbors oaks to see if I see a major difference in temperature across the yard.

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I’ll be interested to know the results of your experiment. :greenthumb:

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

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So my sprinklers are set to go off tonight. Do I turn them off? If they run as usual from 2-4 AM, I'm assuming the water won't freeze if temps stay in the mid 30s (forecast is 36)  If I don't run them, potential frost on the fronds. Which is preferred for the coconut?

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NWS has me forecasted for 36 tonight with patchy frost. Could be a lot of surprises out there tonight!

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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Well so far the forecast has been spot on.  I saw the warnings on the NWS and it looks like that westerly wind is going to spare the west coast, but the east coast is not going to get any respite tonight.  I'm forecast to see 33F tomorrow morning, maybe the coldest since 2010.

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Brevard County, Fl

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44 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

So my sprinklers are set to go off tonight. Do I turn them off? If they run as usual from 2-4 AM, I'm assuming the water won't freeze if temps stay in the mid 30s (forecast is 36)  If I don't run them, potential frost on the fronds. Which is preferred for the coconut?

I have conflicting estimates of my low tonight: 48F vs 42F

I turned the sprinklers off and do so whenever the low falls below 50F. Cold and water are a lethal combination for tropicals like coconuts. Frost at 36F may cause cosmetic damage but the palm will grow out of it. Cold water getting into the meristem area promotes rot, which may not show up for weeks. If you do turn your sprinklers on, leave them on till well after sunup. I've learned the hard way palms kept on the dry side during cold fronts have a better chance at survival.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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I’m already done to 41. I’m basically beside myself. 

On the plus side, I just finished my neighbor’s landscape lighting. 

 

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4 minutes ago, NickJames said:

I’m already done to 41. I’m basically beside myself. 

On the plus side, I just finished my neighbor’s landscape lighting. 

 

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Looks great! Impressive new Royal - makes for a great statement piece. 

Temps are falling off a cliff here right now. Good luck! You wrapping and running the propane heater for your coconut?

Edited by JJPalmer
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Coconut has been inside since Sunday, in addition to all my seedlings and of course the licualas, renda, and vestiaria. Lows have been forecast to mid thirties, and tonight it’s 36. Spouse tells me there was frost all over just about everything this morning. Luckily I had everything frost-sensitive covered with “plant-kets” (A+ to whoever came up with that brand name) so I don’t see any damage yet. My teddy bear has fronds about 10 feet or so off the ground, plus parts of them are literally touching a cement wall thats south facing and gets light at 8:00am so I’m hoping it stays damage free. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing some type of damage creep in, however. It’s way too large for me to cover the fronds, sadly. It’s only palm I have that tends to burn and ISN’T covered.

Interestingly, my thermometers all say the recorded low for the last two nights was only 41, so I’m hoping they’re not just wildly inaccurate, and that the microclimate I’ve got my palms in retains a few degrees of extra heat due to SW exposure and all the cement. The nearest weather station recorded lows of 41 and 37, though. 

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Former South Florida resident living in the Greater Orlando Area, zone 9b.

Constantly wishing I could still grow zone 10 palms worry-free, but also trying to appease my strange fixation with Washingtonias. 

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7 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Looks great! Impressive new Royal - makes for a great statement piece. 

Temps are falling off a cliff here right now. Good luck! You wrapping and running the propane heater for your coconut?

Yes! Got the propane refilled this afternoon.

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Dead still- impressed with how many stars I can see so close to DTSP.  Perfect bon fire weather (unfortunately). You can see my weather station to the right of my neighbors bucs flag. 

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Edited by JJPalmer
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Does everyone think my a. Cunninghamiana is ok without a covering? The sheet on the ground is covering some seedlings. 

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19 minutes ago, IHB1979 said:

Upper 30’s west of I95, Melbourne at 8:30pm. Good luck everyone. 

BBC22602-17E3-431E-A9E8-8A7335840187.jpe

Those swamps get cold!

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6 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Does everyone think my a. Cunninghamiana is ok without a covering? The sheet on the ground is covering some seedlings. 

4758208C-55A0-4B69-AB12-031B2CE0311D.jpeg

Do you have any C9 lights even to lay on the ground? They give off more heat than you would think. 

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8 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Does everyone think my a. Cunninghamiana is ok without a covering? The sheet on the ground is covering some seedlings. 

4758208C-55A0-4B69-AB12-031B2CE0311D.jpeg

It probably won't get cold enough to hurt it from the cold alone, but it won't be happy with frost.

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

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8 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

It probably won't get cold enough to hurt it from the cold alone, but it won't be happy with frost.

I heard they didn’t like frost but it didn’t get damaged at all by my heavy frost on Christmas week, isn’t that funny?

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11 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

Do you have any C9 lights even to lay on the ground? They give off more heat than you would think. 

The problem is, someone put my extension cords in Christmas storage. So short answer, I don’t have anything to reach there.

do you think the FPL transformer cube next to it generates any heat or am I reaching? LOL

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44 minutes ago, NickJames said:

The problem is, someone put my extension cords in Christmas storage. So short answer, I don’t have anything to reach there.

do you think the FPL transformer cube next to it generates any heat or am I reaching? LOL

Well that is reaching but I like how you think. :D

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Seeing readings between 42F and 46F here.  SugarCane is at 46.8F and the airport is at 41F.  Quite a range of readings tonight so far.

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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

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So I’m kind of confirming that my weather station itself does read low compared to the rest of my yard. 
 

Currently the weather station reads 35 degrees. 
 

However, I placed a pipe heating cable (trying to heat up the rocks to radiate some up) near my banana and travelers palm that trips on at 38 and it hasn’t tripped on yet. This is the cable that decimated by bottle palm so I know it works. This particular location i put it in tonight is between my house/backyard and just a few feet from neighbor’s house. 
 

Also, when I ran out for a diet cherry limeade from sonic earlier, the car said 41 in my driveway when weather station said 37. 

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3 minutes ago, NickJames said:

So I’m kind of confirming that my weather station itself does read low compared to the rest of my yard. 
 

Currently the weather station reads 35 degrees. 
 

However, I placed a pipe heating cable (trying to heat up the rocks to radiate some up) near my banana and travelers palm that trips on at 38 and it hasn’t tripped on yet. This is the cable that decimated by bottle palm so I know it works. This particular location i put it in tonight is between my house/backyard and just a few feet from neighbor’s house. 
 

Also, when I ran out for a diet cherry limeade from sonic earlier, the car said 41 in my driveway when weather station said 37. 

Best you can do is get a good piece of equipment, put it somewhere in the open during your cold nights at 4-6 feet (mine are at 6 feet), and check it against the closest "known-good" stations.  For me, the airport isn't exactly a warm spot, but it's a known good - so as long as I'm not too far off of the airport reading (+/- 3), I consider that a valid reading.  My main station has recorded lower numbers than the airport off and on, so it's not like it is always "hot".  I can walk to the SugarCane station and have been following it for 3 years - known good.  Basically, it's a "best-effort" type of thing.

Sometimes unshielded stations go haywire if they get too much sun exposure during the day.

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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

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18 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Basically in free fall. Lol. 

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Is this consistent with temps around your area? Has frost formed?

Edited by pj_orlando_z9b
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I'm going to bed but feel better about tonight. Dewpoint has risen to 38F at 1 AM.  I think the light W wind is carrying moisture off the lake. Many stations on the SE side of lakes seem to be doing well in Orlando. Good luck to all. 

Screenshot_20210204-004916_Chrome.jpg

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Current temp in the backyard is 42F. Forecasted low of 36F tonight. 
Hoping and praying the wind starts blowing just enough to hold the temps overnight over there! I hope the damage is extremely minimal.

Palms - 4 S. romanzoffiana, 1 W. bifurcata, 2 W. robusta, 1 R. rivularis, 1 B. odorata, 1 B. nobilis, 2 S. palmetto, 1 A. merillii, 1 P. canariensis, 1 BxJ, 1 BxJxBxS, 1 BxS, 3 P. roebelenii, 1 H. lagenicaulis, 1 H. verschaffeltii, 9 T. fortunei, 1 C. humilis, 2 C. macrocarpa, 1 L. chinensis, 1 R. excelsa

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34 so far here a few miles from where the Superbowl will be played. Peaked outside, it looks like heavy frost. I'm sure this is going to damage my areca palms and to a lesser extent my foxtail. My St Augustine grass this year has gone dormant for the first time in a couple of years also. 

Screenshot_20210204-070703_Chrome.jpg

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NWS predicted 36F so pretty spot on. Frozen dew on the car tops when I left for work around 5:30 this morning. Probably a lot more frozen dew on things by now. Bring on the damage! :mellow: 
temp above is from the PWS across the street from me. 

Edited by ruskinPalms
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Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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