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Jan 2 Cold Snap


_Keith

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Good choice William.  Always go with your first instincts.

Jacksonville, FL

Zone 9a

 

First Officer

Air Wisconsin Airlines (USairways Express)

Canadair Regional Jet

Base: ORF

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We got down around 30 last night.  Forecast for tonight are all over the page, anywhere from 25 to 30 depending on who you  believe.  There are normally small differences in predictions, but this is the biggest variance I remember here.  

Believe it or not, we are predicted to have highs near 80 again by the weekend.

Good luck over in FL, looks like you guys are gonna get the worst of this one.

Keith

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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I watched the Fox noon news and he said the NWS is looking at and most likely to extend the hard freeze watch down the west coast into Charlotte Co. Watch for a NWS update this afternoon.

Scott   :cool:   Citrus Park FL. N.W Tampa   www.aroundmyhouse.com                                                                                                      

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Not bad as of last night but stroing NW winds all night and thhroughout today.

it was 37 degress at 2:30 am EST when I went to bed and I checked my meter this morning and it bottomed out at 31.5 degrees. That is the lowest so far this year in my yard and technically the first freeze.

just had lunch 12:45pm and it 38.2 on my meter..... high around 45 or so

20NW winds 24 gust. dewpoint of 9 degrees! and 30% humidity.

predicted low anywhere from 15(accuweather sensaltionlaists) to 18 degrees.

Luke

Tallahassee, FL - USDA zone 8b/9a

63" rain annually

January avg 65/40 - July avg 92/73

North Florida Palm Society - http://palmsociety.blogspot.com/

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Hit 29.1 this a.m., it was 32 or below from 4:29a.m. to 9:59a.m. at my house. Absolutely no frost because of the dryness/low dewpoints and aside from bananas things are not looking too bad, foliage has perked up since we climbed above freezing a couple of hours ago. Currently a balmy 36.2F here! The wind saved us last night, but this will supposedly not be the case tonight, the forecasts are all over the map, as Keith said. For us it ranges from 17 (AccuNOT) to 24 (weather.com)...though there are some rumblings about a cirrus shield possibly starting to drift in sometime around midnight, possibly earlier. Here's the text from early this a.m.:

MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE HINTING AT SOME CIRRUS ROLLING INTO SOUTHERN

PORTIONS OF THE CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT.  GIVEN HOW COLD AND DRY THIS

AIRMASS IS AND WITH PLENTY OF TIME EXPECTED FOR TEMPERATURES TO

COOL BEFORE THE CIRRUS ROLLS IN EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...I DON`T

THINK THEY`LL HAVE MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON LOWS IN THE SOUTH.

HOWEVER...IF THE CIRRUS MOVES IN EARLIER IN THE EVENING...THIS WILL

CERTAINLY HAMPER LOWS ACROSS THE SOUTH FROM ACHIEVING THEIR FULL

POTENTIAL TONIGHT.

I just looked at the newest maps for tonight and it shows a 17% sky-cover in place this evening from a long N-S line from about Houston and Lufkin upward and across the whole of western Louisiana and Arkansas and eastward over to somewhere between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. A bubble then extending eastward over us about midnight and then across south-central Mississippi. B.R., N.O., Mobile show still at 0% all night as do all points east and southeast across Florida. Looks like a large swath of Georgia including Atlanta will have something of a shield as well tonight. I wonder if these could expand further, though. Anybody have any comments about this development?

Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

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All I can say is, that wind chill is killer. I just covered my bromeliads with frost cloth, and about froze to death in the wind. And I was wearing gloves and fleece pants and jacket.

I took the extra step of sealing the 2 big 36" exhaust fans on the greenhouse with 6 mil plastic to hopefully help minimize some heat loss there. Checked the greenhouse, everything seems a-okay. Things should be fine even in the teens as long as these nasty winds don't blow something like a tree over and knock out the power.

"You can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes"---SliPknot

 

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The forcasts for my area (zip 33570):

NWS/NOAA: 29F

Wunderground: 30F

Accuweather: 29F

TWC: 31F

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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Well All i can say is I hate WINTER !!!!! LOL

here's my forcast for my area Pinellas Park

NWS/NOAA:        34F

wunderground:  32F

weather.com:     34F

accuweather:     36F

sometimes what i do is add all this together to get an average temp sometimes its correct

sometimes not but gives you and idea what area of a temp where it will be.

Average will be 34F.  I hope every ones palm/plants has no damage tonight

Matthew Albach

Pinellas Park FLorida

USDA zone 10a

sunset zone 26

heat zone   10

mostly frost free most years.

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(metalfan @ Jan. 02 2008,13:25)

QUOTE
All I can say is, that wind chill is killer. I just covered my bromeliads with frost cloth, and about froze to death in the wind. And I was wearing gloves and fleece pants and jacket.

I took the extra step of sealing the 2 big 36" exhaust fans on the greenhouse with 6 mil plastic to hopefully help minimize some heat loss there. Checked the greenhouse, everything seems a-okay. Things should be fine even in the teens as long as these nasty winds don't blow something like a tree over and knock out the power.

You must've about frozen out there.  It's much worse where you are than it is here - and I wouldn't have wanted to be out in it.  I just hurried from the car into the house this evening.

It's great that you have a greenhouse.  Tonight I could really use one - Yesterday, I turned our place into a "greenhouse" with over 50 potted plants crowded everywhere I could find room (the 2 triandra are quarantined in the rest room in case anyone wondered :D)

At 6:15 when I got home, the outside temp was 47 and the inside temp was only 60!  Usually this house retains heat very well (a little TOO well), but I don't think it got over 50 during the day.  NOAA website is still saying our low tonight will be 33, but frankly I think they're bonkers.

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Their saying in the news this evening that it will be the first morning in the 30's in five years. About 39 is what their saying. This is certainly something I can live with. When it gets to the 30 mark, or something close, I get really worried then.

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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It's about 7:00pm and we just hit 32F here. Ouch!

Many other stations currently registering 32F or thereabouts, or even lower. Mobile, Pensacola, Ft. Walton Beach, Tallahassee and Jacksonville outlying areas, and the freezing line right now in Florida is currently on a roughly Gainesville-Palatka line. About to fall below freezing are many areas well south of there, currently 30s registering as far south as Port Charlotte. We're all looking at a good freeze-tolerance test tonight in the Deep South tonight, ladies and gentlemen!

Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

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Hot dang you aint kiddin mnorell!

Its now just a tad over 40F here in Tarpon Springs at 815PM!

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Our weather dude said that temps will literally "drop like a rock" so I guess its possible that ir could get colder further south than they first thought. The lows in Key West are supposedly going to be in the 40's, and I thought I saw somewhere Miami area at 32

"You can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes"---SliPknot

 

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Metal-

Dropping like a rock Id say is accurate!

I have lived here since 2000 and I dont think I have seen temps this cold this early in the evening.  Its barely 40F here at 830PM with a long time till sunrise.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Larry, we're not much better off here.  It's currently 46 at my house.

Michael you be right about the "freeze-tolerance" test.  I think this is the death-knell for my perpetual zone-denial.  

Hi Jeff - you lucky dawg, seems you'll escape the freeze.  Wish we could move back to Broward, really I do.  Btw - the beautiful actinokentia was the first plant I brought in (followed by the azul).

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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(SunnyFl @ Jan. 02 2008,20:26)

QUOTE
Larry, we're not much better off here.  It's currently 46 at my house.

Why dont you just rub it in Sunny!!?!?!?  hehehehehehe

At 46F you are doing great as that alot warmer than most everywhere else right now.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Ended up bringing in my only Crytostachys renda before the sun set...

I just read my local weather warnings at every weather site I could think of...  Looks like anything west of 441 on my latitude is under freeze warning, and willl most likely freeze...  Seems that coastal areas may get by tonight with just slightly above freezing temps...  There is going to be plant damage from this one...  These cold snaps are tough...  I still had lots of seedlings pushing out new spears...  For goodness sake, I was potting up seedlings over the weekend with no shirt on and got a sunburn in the shadehouse!  It's not like they got any time toughen up for cold weather...  

I'm betting my Socreatea exhorriza are gonna take a serious beating after their near fatal transplants...

I'm going to get a tarp to cover the shadehouse...  I wish I had a better solution...  Last year it was easier to deal with winter...  the shadehouse was a 1/4 of the size...

I'll be praying for ya'll up their in central and northern florida...  you mississippi and lousiana folk are in for a tough one it sounds like...  Hunker down and hold fast...  the cold will be gone soon!

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The blue tarp got donated to a construction crew who was fixing hurricane roofs STILL last summer...  I don't think they are ever gonna get all of em fixed...  I can't imagine having a leaky roof 3 years after the fact...  

I was thinking about using a white tarp instead this time around...  Anyone have any suggestions as far as color?  I would prefer a clear tarp but I can't find them large enough...  I need a 40'x60' tarp to cover the whole shadehouse...  Last year it was a balmy 92 F and 70% humidty under that blue tarp on days when outdoor temps were low 40's and humidity was in the 20% range...

The only thing that was a problem with the tarp was rain... there was no pitch so the water colected and sagged on the tarp somthin' fierce...  I think my current shadecloth has enough stretch I can push it up in the cneter and create a roofline and using some 1x2 create makeshift trusses to get me through the winter...

Here's the idea...

Picture.jpg

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(ruskinPalms @ Jan. 02 2008,17:02)

QUOTE
The forcasts for my area (zip 33570):

NWS/NOAA: 29F

Wunderground: 30F

Accuweather: 29F

TWC: 31F

Is that actual temp or 'feels like' temp? Weather.com says a low of 29 here (Dade City) but 'feels like' of 18. Wondering about my Bizzie and P. Rupicola. I can cover 1 with my car cover.

Also, how accurate are these weather stations?

http://www.wunderground.com/station....o=99999

The thermometer I have says 4 degrees warmer and I am at an elevation of 165 on a hillside sloped lot (hoping that helps) although I doubt much because of the wind.

Zone 9A

Dade City, FL. 

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Good luck Floridians  :) BTW why is it so much colder along the Florida west coast during this freeze warning period?

Is this typical?

A quick warm-up will occur within 24-36 hours  :cool:

Los Angeles/Pasadena

34° 10' N   118° 18' W

Elevation: 910'/278m

January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F

July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F

Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm

USDA 11/Sunset 23

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?MTW

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(happ @ Jan. 02 2008,21:01)

QUOTE
Good luck Floridians  :) BTW why is it so much colder along the Florida west coast during this freeze warning period?

Is this typical?

A quick warm-up will occur within 24-36 hours  :cool:

Hi Happ,

Although it's colder on the west coast tonight, it's not always colder here.  A couple of years ago, during the Valentine's Day freeze, the east coast actually got colder than this part of the gulf coast, even in areas much farther south.  I don't know why one is sometimes warmer - maybe Larry (SpockVR6) can answer that one.

Current temps:

Albert Whitted   43F

Pinellas Park      40F (Home Depot)

My house           42F

And the temps continue to drop.

Baby it's cold.... outside!

edited to add:  happ, I misread your post.  because the cold addles my brain.

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Havana Cuba low of 46F? Wow that is something you dont see every day.Good luck to all of you. I hope the losses are minimal.

We're cathcing a bit of the same weather system here in Bermuda. Its supposed to cool down to lows of 55F tomorrow and Thursday. Looks like everybody will be in the clear by Friday though.

Will, dont forget your Splendidas. They should go inside too.

Mike F

Michael Ferreira

Bermuda-Humid(77% ave), Subtropical Zone 11, no frost

Warm Season: (May-November): Max/Min 81F/73F

Cool Season: (Dec-Apr): Max/Min 70F/62F

Record High: 94F

Record Low: 43F

Rain: 55 inches per year with no dry/wet season

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(Palm Guy @ Jan. 02 2008,22:44)

QUOTE
We're cathcing a bit of the same weather system here in Bermuda. Its supposed to cool down to lows of 55F tomorrow and Thursday.

You rat!

You have far too much water surrounding you. This is plainly just not fair! :P

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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22f right here now on Long Island and dropping fast.... With a stiff 20mph wind it feels like the arctic  :( :( :(

Bobby

Long Island, New York  Zone 7a (where most of the southern Floridians are originally from)

AVERAGE TEMPS

Summer Highs  : 85-90f/day,  68-75f / night

Winter Lows     : 38-45f/day,   25-35f / night

Extreme Low    : 10-20f/day,    0-10f / night   but VERY RARE

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(mpanak @ Jan. 02 2008,20:52)

QUOTE
Weather.com says a low of 29 here (Dade City)

I surely hope that forecast pans out as that would mean good things over here :D  NWS is calling for high teens/low 20's for inland areas.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Although I am a bit removed from the temperatures you all are experiencing I have been there and know the consequences.  And, it is no fun.  I found the Weather.com map of the US current temperatures very interesting.  When it is warmer in Montana than it is in Florida it is a very bad sign.

acttemp_600x405.jpg

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Didn't move the V. splendida indoors...  actually as a test, bare-rooted one and potted it into a 1g yesterday! :o  

Looks like my shadehouse bottomed out around 36.7F around 03:15 EST

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There are so many weather threads that I don't know where to post this one, but for a change

Richard Douglas

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Whoops, hit the wrong key. There are so many weather threads that I don't know where to post this one, but for a rare change it's warmer in the SF Bay Area than most places in Florida this morning. At 5 AM, it's a torrid 42.8F, but the first clouds of 3 Pacific fronts are moving in and the wind is picking up. It's weird that we have to have a cold front to warm up, but there has been very little cloud cover for most of Dec. and we have had clear, cold nights with frost most every morning.

The last wave forcast to move through will be followed by cold air from the Gulf of Alaska, so we will get our cold in few days. You guys in Florida should warm up soon, so maybe it won't be so bad. We will be waiting on your reports later today.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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(spockvr6 @ Jan. 02 2008,22:58)

QUOTE

(mpanak @ Jan. 02 2008,20:52)

QUOTE
Weather.com says a low of 29 here (Dade City)

I surely hope that forecast pans out as that would mean good things over here :D  NWS is calling for high teens/low 20's for inland areas.

It didn't. My gauge read 26 at 6am. Wondering what the effects of the wind are? All my palms can handle 26 but unsure of the effects of wind and the 'feels like' temp on the palms. The cover blew off the Bizmarckia and the Roebelinii so we shall see. This could really suck. Scheffleras aready showing the damage this morning but I expected that. I don't mind them getting taken down as they recover and it saves me the trouble of trimming the oaks branches above them.

Zone 9A

Dade City, FL. 

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Hey Keith – Back to your original question, I didn’t do much protecting in preparation for these cold temperatures. I brought my Crytostachys renda inside a few days ago and moved a few potted palms closer to the house last night. If frost would have been a concern, I would have put out some frost cloth on a few things. The local prediction was for the temperature to drop to about 27°F at my house over night - no frost and lots of wind.

According to the weather channel, the low in Destrehan (10 miles west of the New Orleans airport) was 23°F. The temperature at my house was 27°F at a location six feet off the ground and six feet from my house. The temperature was 34°F at a location one foot off the ground and one foot from my house. The rest of my yard probably got close to 23°F. I think the official low at the airport was 29°F – I am usually a few degrees cooler than most of the New Orleans area to the east of me.

The last time the temperature at my house was this cold was January 2, 2002 when the official low was 22°F. The effect was worse then because there was heavy frost. I didn’t protect anything at that time because I was at the hospital with my sister who was having her first daughter. All the leaves on my Phoenix roebelenii turned brown, but it recovered just fine. I don’t expect much damage this time, but only time will tell.

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Kathryn, I was wondering how your Psuedophonix sargenti is doing in this artic event.

What you look for is what is looking

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Happ, Good question.There are certainly exceptions as noted,but generally speaking the East coast of Florida is warmer than the West coast of Florida during the Winter at similar latitudes.In this Artic event ,Ft.Myers reported a low of 32F.while West Palm reported 36F.Although Ft. Myers is further South(26/38) than West Palm(26/70),this variance in temperature is not out of the ordinary.

Specifically,Ft.Myers average Jan. temperature is 63.8F.with an average high of 74.3 and an average low of 53.2F.West Palm has an average Jan. of 65.1F. with an average high of 74.5F. and an average low of 55.7F.

The obvious answer is the effect of the Gulfstream(also referred to as the Florida Current)on the surrounding area.As I discussed with Dave in our visit,we are approximately the furthest Eastern point in the State and the Stream is only two miles off our coast.Currently our Ocean temperature is 74F after the passage of a strong Artic blast.I am not certain about the water temperature in Ft. Myers right now but would guess it would be lower.Our Ocean temperature here is often warmer than locations further South but further West and further from the warming waters of the Gulfstream.As a further example, the low at my location was 40F. but it is relatively close to the Ocean.(a block)That is a four degree difference from the airport but as you well know that can have an enormous effect on sensitive palms and plants.The effect of the Gulfstream is also seen in how quickly we rebound from the cold blast.Obviously,this also has a major effect on palms and plants.

What you look for is what is looking

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(SunnyFl @ Jan. 02 2008,20:26)

QUOTE
Larry, we're not much better off here.  It's currently 46 at my house.

Michael you be right about the "freeze-tolerance" test.  I think this is the death-knell for my perpetual zone-denial.  

Hi Jeff - you lucky dawg, seems you'll escape the freeze.  Wish we could move back to Broward, really I do.  Btw - the beautiful actinokentia was the first plant I brought in (followed by the azul).

Sunny,

  Way to go, you got to do what you gotta do. :D  And anytime, your welcome back down.

BTW, I had 36 degrees last night at my house. And I'm just 5 minutes from the nursery. I think everything will be OK from this. But, too early to tell yet.

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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Happ-

Here are a few good maps which are probably generally accurate. The 10B area might be a tad generous though?

You can see the west side of the state gets hotter, but also generally colder.  I believe alot of this is due to the predominant wind direction.  Maybe the Gulf stream also factors into this?

EHEAT.JPG

ECOLD.JPG

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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Bubba - My Pseudophoenix sargentii looks good and should be just fine after a low of 27ºF. It’s been in the same spot since 2005 without protection and has seen temperatures in the 27-29ºF range many times. I considered putting it in the ground since it won’t grow fast and could easily be protected if the temperature is predicted to get colder, but decided against it due to discussions about soil type and salinity.

If frost or ice had been predicted, I would have moved or protected a lot more palms.

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BTW, I had 36 degrees last night at my house. And I'm just 5 minutes from the nursery. I think everything will be OK from this. But, too early to tell yet.

Jeff

Jeff, you had 36 in Southwest Ranches?? That's insane.... It's probably because you're out west... I can't imagine Ft. Laud had anything less than 45 or so...

Bobby

Long Island, New York  Zone 7a (where most of the southern Floridians are originally from)

AVERAGE TEMPS

Summer Highs  : 85-90f/day,  68-75f / night

Winter Lows     : 38-45f/day,   25-35f / night

Extreme Low    : 10-20f/day,    0-10f / night   but VERY RARE

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