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Texas '22 Freeze


Swolte

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Not as devastating as last year but it brings back bad memories! News organizations are taking this seriously. Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country, has suspended classes today. I have more palms unprotected (either too big or I am unwilling to cut them) so there will be some more hardiness data coming our way. Situation Northwest of college station is worse.

WInter 22.png

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Yep Dallas is once again having a lower yearly temp than me.   My low last year 11F and this year 12F

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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North of Dallas was 0F last year and will be 10F tomorrow! Really bad!

All fronds on my palms bend badly under heavy weight of ice!

 

Edited by smatofu
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Ice hear in San Antonio too.  Currently 28F on my property.  They are forecasting 20F for tonight and tomorrow night.  Ice is really weighting down the branches of the Live Oaks.  I covered all of my palms with frost cloth before the rains yesterday.  Hopefully the ice is not affecting the fronds too bad.  Some of these guys survived 6F last year, so I am cautiously optimistic.  Wet, freezing temperatures, and ice are not a good mixture for any palms though.

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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I wrapped trunks with heating cable and blankets. Crowns are too large to cover. 

I am thinking about cutting all fronds and better protecting crownshafts.  Fronds may be already lost anyway... 

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20 minutes ago, smatofu said:

I wrapped trunks with heating cable and blankets. Crowns are too large to cover. 

I am thinking about cutting all fronds and better protecting crownshafts.  Fronds may be already lost anyway... 

At 10-12F your Trachy should be ok.  Cover the spear area with a towel or frost cloth to prevent ice getting in there if you want to be proactive and hold some heat.  If it is a larger established Trachy it probably won't matter.  Fronds can bend quite a bit in ice and come back unless tit completely snaps petiole.  Knock off ice if it can be done without breaking fronds.  usually best left alone.  

This Trachy of mine looks perfectly normal after being smashed by snow.  Keep in mind it's a big tough established palm about 11'

pic.jpg

IMG_2175.JPG

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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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4 hours ago, Swolte said:

Not as devastating as last year but it brings back bad memories! News organizations are taking this seriously. Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country, has suspended classes today. I have more palms unprotected (either too big or I am unwilling to cut them) so there will be some more hardiness data coming our way. Situation Northwest of college station is worse.

WInter 22.png

This doesn't look bad at all. I'd love it if this was the worst we ever saw in winter here in Raleigh. 

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3 hours ago, knikfar said:

This doesn't look bad at all. I'd love it if this was the worst we ever saw in winter here in Raleigh. 

The high today in Dallas was only 24F. as of 5 pm.  Much colder than expected. 

Edited by Paradise Found
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Last year I had almost everything in my landscape covered with frost/dropcloth and plastic, and got through the real deep freeze (low of 8 fahrenheit) without issue. This freeze I naively figured I didn't need as much given the temps in San Antonio were only expected to drop to 20 at the lowest. So I have a treasured fig, sabal palmetto, and eleventy billion trellised star jasmines uncovered and glazed with ice right now. Ah well we'll see what happens I guess. 

 

 

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17 minutes ago, BobStrauss said:

Last year I had almost everything in my landscape covered with frost/dropcloth and plastic, and got through the real deep freeze (low of 8 fahrenheit) without issue. This freeze I naively figured I didn't need as much given the temps in San Antonio were only expected to drop to 20 at the lowest. So I have a treasured fig, sabal palmetto, and eleventy billion trellised star jasmines uncovered and glazed with ice right now. Ah well we'll see what happens I guess. 

 

 

The palmetto and figs should be fine. My celeste, brown turkey, and green ischia came back from subzero(F) temperatures last year. 

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Not overly worried. Last year cleaned out all the non hardy stuff. Low predicted to be in the low 20s. They’ve actually upped tonight’s low to 25 on my weather app. Everything iced up good though. 

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Went below 32F at noon. .2 inch ice with another coating of sleet  on ground. 
under advective wind conditions dropping about 1/2 degree per hour. So should easily reach 20F by 7am. 
Hoping it all melts tomorrow. Next two night could be colder than tonight depending on clear skies and no wind.

Edited by Collectorpalms
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Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

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Both Airports in Houston now 32F welcome back!

Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

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Accuweather shows 33F here at my location. Another site shows 31... I will need to buy a weather station one of these days.

My two Canaries are below.

 

j5y4FRc.jpg

 

9TVcC8u.jpg

 

The big ones covered with the green covers are the Bizzies, in the center I have the Mediteranean and in the left and right I have the Filiferas in the below photo that shows five covered palms. 

 

30x1TOG.jpg

 

@edit: the Canaries and the Bizzies have also Christmas lights at their base, 25 ct C9 light producing 175 W each which should give them a few degrees to be above the freezing temperature. I did not want to wrap them up with the lights because I would have burned their trunks for sure.. It was not showing to be that bad here but I just did not want to take any chance. 

The Mediterranean and the Filiferas could have handled probably the weather with no covers at all but I said that instead of them having some damage and after that trying to recover it is better to protect them so that in a few weeks I start fertilizing them so that they can explode. :) 

Edited by CiprianS
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Good luck everyone. In my slice of OK we had sleet for about 6 hours last night, followed by about 5 inches of snow. High was around 24F today. Not ideal conditions, but the lowest predicted low has been bumped up to around 10F. A few days ago they were predicting it to go as low -2F. So I will take a win where I can get it.

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Looks like #PatioSquad should be able to go back on the patio by *checks notes* Wednesday. 

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I always find it amazing too see how easy and how far south cold can come in US.  

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Southwest

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The predictions were spot on so far as it didn't get much lower than 22F. This was my greatest worry as I hit 18F a few weeks ago when predictions were in the high 20s (caused me a spear pull on a precious L Nitida <_<). I am so ready for spring after tomorrow!

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1 hour ago, Exotic Life said:

I always find it amazing too see how easy and how far south cold can come in US.  

Likewise. It’s another year where the warmest parts of Houston (29N) records colder temperatures than central London way up at 51N. That’s crazy when you think about it. I’m not sure whether that says more about how mild London is, or more about the cold potential in Texas during the depths of winter?

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Dry-summer Oceanic climate (9a)

Average annual precipitation - 18.7 inches : Average annual sunshine hours - 1725

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14 hours ago, Paradise Found said:

The high today in Dallas was only 24F. as of 5 pm.  Much colder than expected. 

Man, I'm so sorry. Climate, and climate change, is so crazy. Dallas is a solid half zone higher than Raleigh, without question. But last year's winter and this years in Dallas is worse than I've ever experienced here in Raleigh. I wonder if our proximity to the Atlantic Ocean vs Dallas's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico is a factor in the low high temperatures? 

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24 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

Likewise. It’s another year where the warmest parts of Houston (29N) records colder temperatures than central London way up at 51N. That’s crazy when you think about it. I’m not sure whether that says more about how mild London is, or more about the cold potential in Texas during the depths of winter?

I think it's a testament both to how mild London is and how volatile Texas can be in the winter, I know of nowhere else in the world at the latitude of coastal Texas and on/near the coast that ever gets this cold.  Also don't know of anywhere else as mild as London at that latitude

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Corpus Christi, TX, near salt water, zone 9b/10a! Except when it isn't and everything gets nuked.

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54 minutes ago, knikfar said:

Man, I'm so sorry. Climate, and climate change, is so crazy. Dallas is a solid half zone higher than Raleigh, without question. But last year's winter and this years in Dallas is worse than I've ever experienced here in Raleigh. I wonder if our proximity to the Atlantic Ocean vs Dallas's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico is a factor in the low high temperatures? 

 

I don't think it is a climate change at all! All North Texas NATIVE plants and animals survived harsh winter 2021 without any problem!  My somehow native Sabal Minot didn't lose a single frond.

Problems that we have are with non-native palm species that :) whimsically we want to keep. 

There are no native palms in North Texas for a reason!

 

 

Edited by smatofu
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I listened to a podcast several years ago that discussed how unpredictable rainfall was in central Texas. They quoted evidence going back a few hundred years that this area would received plentiful rain for agriculture for long stretches (~8-10 years) followed by multiple years of virtually nothing. That farmers would repeatedly get pulled in during the good stretches, only to lose everything when dry times inevitably came around. Perhaps that’s the case with temperature here as well.

 

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8 minutes ago, BobStrauss said:

I listened to a podcast several years ago that discussed how unpredictable rainfall was in central Texas. They quoted evidence going back a few hundred years that this area would received plentiful rain for agriculture for long stretches (~8-10 years) followed by multiple years of virtually nothing. That farmers would repeatedly get pulled in during the good stretches, only to lose everything when dry times inevitably came around. Perhaps that’s the case with temperature here as well.

 

Most likely!  I am always amazed how the weather goes through unbearable for human extremes in Texas: wet, dry, scorching hot, deep freeze...   yet next spring I see same geckos, snakes, rabbits, birds, grasshoppers... 

 

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This storm literally converged with the arctic cold front right over Albuquerque.. its nightmarish.  I got 2-3 inches of snow but.. it is cold.

I'm moving to Guadalajara.

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wxBanner?bannertype=wu_clean2day_cond&pw

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I brought in all my potted palms during the current ice event in San Antonio.  Here is a shot of a few that are riding it out with me at the home office.  Left to right: Chamaedorea elegans, Bismarckia nobilis, and Livistona decora.

20220204_104424.jpg

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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6 hours ago, Exotic Life said:

I always find it amazing too see how easy and how far south cold can come in US.  

 

4 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

Likewise. It’s another year where the warmest parts of Houston (29N) records colder temperatures than central London way up at 51N. That’s crazy when you think about it. I’m not sure whether that says more about how mild London is, or more about the cold potential in Texas during the depths of winter?

 

4 hours ago, Xerarch said:

I think it's a testament both to how mild London is and how volatile Texas can be in the winter, I know of nowhere else in the world at the latitude of coastal Texas and on/near the coast that ever gets this cold.  Also don't know of anywhere else as mild as London at that latitude

But even with these cold incursions, you can still see the incongruities. For instance, what determines whether we get Feb 2021 type events focused towards Texas,  Jan 1985 events focused in Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, or 1989 events that overtake the entire Southern US?

There has to be peculiarities regarding upper-level patterns that determine how these all ultimately play out.

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4 hours ago, BobStrauss said:

I listened to a podcast several years ago that discussed how unpredictable rainfall was in central Texas. They quoted evidence going back a few hundred years that this area would received plentiful rain for agriculture for long stretches (~8-10 years) followed by multiple years of virtually nothing. That farmers would repeatedly get pulled in during the good stretches, only to lose everything when dry times inevitably came around. Perhaps that’s the case with temperature here as well.

 

The drought is another thing of curiosity.  What are the mechanisms at play regarding drought in spite of a huge Gulf of Mexico right nearby? The summer of 2021, on the flipside, was definitely cool/wet statewide.

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9 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

Likewise. It’s another year where the warmest parts of Houston (29N) records colder temperatures than central London way up at 51N. That’s crazy when you think about it. I’m not sure whether that says more about how mild London is, or more about the cold potential in Texas during the depths of winter?

This was not a huge freeze in San Antonio historically.  Zone 9.  By far the coldest air of the winter, and the low was 21F.  Tonight is projected around 25F.  Todays high was around 42 or 43F.  And this will be the coldest air of the year, barring something really abnormal.  So it wasn't that bad at all.

Take a look at December's numbers for SA.  I believe the average high was something like 74F (23C) for the entire month, and that's one of the two coldest months of the winter.

Put another way, San Antonio was as warm on average this year in the absolute dead of winter that London is in mid-summer, possibly warmer.  Let that sink in for a moment. 

This freeze wasn't enough to kill a queen palm here.

Edited by NBTX11
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10 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

I’m not sure whether that says more about how mild London is, or more about the cold potential in Texas during the depths of winter?

Cold potential of Texas for sure.  That cold Canadian air can drop far south over the Great Plains.  Historically speaking, it is nothing new.  From what I understand, General Santa Anna and his army even had to deal with a snow/ice storm in Northern Mexico on his way to the Alamo (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40167462) in 1836.  That would have made Texas pretty cold as well.

 

I lived in London for a few years back in the late 90s.  I remember the winters being cold, wet, and dreary; like living in a black and white movie all the time.  But I do not recall a whole lot of freezing cold.  I definitely do not remember temperatures in the teens or single digits Fahrenheit.  Snow flurries maybe once or twice; no real ice events that I recall.  Summers were pleasant though.  I remember seeing some mature Phoenix canariensis and Chamaerops humilis growing at a few spots around town.  I bet a few Sabal sps. would do alright there as well.  Kew Gardens had some cool specimens too.

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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You’re right, really wasn’t bad temperature-wise, and this winter has been great overall. It’s just the whole situation with freezing rain glazing over all exposed foliage that makes me anxious.

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55 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

This was not a huge freeze in San Antonio historically.  Zone 9.  By far the coldest air of the winter, and the low was 21F.  Tonight is projected around 25F.  Todays high was around 42 or 43F.  And this will be the coldest air of the year, barring something really abnormal.  So it wasn't that bad at all.

Take a look at December's numbers for SA.  I believe the average high was something like 74F (23C) for the entire month, and that's one of the two coldest months of the winter.

Put another way, San Antonio was as warm on average this year in the absolute dead of winter that London is in mid-summer, possibly warmer.  Let that sink in for a moment. 

This freeze wasn't enough to kill a queen palm here.

Dec 2022 was a warm anomaly. It was the warmest December since 1889.  Last night wouldn't kill an established queen palm because there are none left. It would fry a new one exposed to the wind, the wind chill was 10F under gusty winds north winds of 20-30 mph. I am waiting to see if my canaries are going to brown out. I was only 23F, but the wind and ice hurts. Sun came out at 4pm and warmed to 37F, but at 7pm its back to 33F.

Edited by Collectorpalms

Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

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23 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Dec 2022 was a warm anomaly. It was the warmest December since 1889.  Last night wouldn't kill an established queen palm because there are none left. It would fry a new one exposed to the wind, the wind chill was 10F under gusty winds north winds of 20-30 mph. I am waiting to see if my canaries are going to brown out. I was only 23F, but the wind and ice hurts. Sun came out at 4pm and warmed to 37F, but at 7pm its back to 33F.

I think we got warmer than you today, because we had sun.  We were in the 40's.  The freeze would spot out or brown out a queen, but not kill one.  I've seen queens come back from teens before.  You're right, all the queens were killed last year, but I have seen a decent number planted since the freeze.  That's what I was referring to.  I will check up on some big queens a store near me planted last summer, but I don't think they will be killed.  Compared to the big freezes of the past, this freeze wasn't that bad...still zone 9.

Since it hasn't dropped below 20F yet, the Canary dates may hang on to most of their green fronds...we'll see.  Maybe the little bit of ice we got acted as a protective coating.   

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After hearing a massive ice storm was coming early last week I drove to several big box stores looking for propane heaters in the advent we lost power. Finally, Tues I snatched a Mr. Heater you attach to top of tank and on low will last up to 40 hours on low so would work in greenhouse if need be. We got above freezing a few hours today after a long cold lower 20s night, a bunch of sleet and snow still out there tonight so temp. supposed to be near 19* but damn it was so beautiful coming down so gently yesterday! What a treat for us in Big D! But yeah, I am ready for it to get back to more typical temps but we cannot complain as this is more like a normal winter cold spell we used to get here! I sorta wondered with climate change if we ever would see Winter days like this again! I guess I should've known after last winter's nightmare that the Siberian Express can still swipe us good down here. Some other commenters said previous how this could be, but look at the only native stuff here is genetically built to withstand. That leaves Sabal- the big bad mama genus that takes no shit. There is literally no mountains to stop it once it starts heading this way from the polar jets that meander in Canada. Cold air is heavy and slips on down like it's nothing.

By Dallas standards, this is not a bad freeze, and I only wrapped a few things just because I had the material and the time, but most palms and such will easily survive. Some severely weakened ones that were barely hanging on from last year might not. Sad we lost so many last year, but it reminds me not to plant anything that is borderline here unless I am willing to kiss goodbye ( like my row of variegated Pitts that were twenty years old and had just had the best bloom coverage yet!). Sad, but there is lots of options and new hybrids to do now. I am going to get a few windmills and such this spring if not too expensive to fill the hole. 

Cheers everyone, stay warm and hug your palms and pets!

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