Nippy in Florida

[Jimbean]

As of 6:30:

[spockvr6]

My state of the art digital Springfield thermometer, reads 35.6 this morning, the weather channel says it's 40, yesterday mine read 41.1 at 6:25, and the weather channel read 30, it's on the north side of the house, could it be the wind chill affecting both thermometers, Ed

Edrich-

The easiest thing to do is just look at other stations around you to see if your temps make sense (see attached).

Wind chill wont affect thermometers (unless they are wet), so you probably have the sensor where it is picking up heat from some other source. It is not always easy to find a good measurement location! I have spent hours in my yard trying to find a good spot. Ideally, the sensor would be in a wide open area with nothing but grass surrounding it and not near any house walls, trees, etc etc...but this is not always so easy to do in typical suburban yards.

Edited January 22, 2009 by spockvr6

[edric]

My heat pump just started smoking, and I went to hose the frost off, and the water in the hose is nearly entirly frozen, Ed

[edric]

My heat pump just started smoking, and I went to hose the frost off, and the water in the hose is nearly entirly frozen, Ed

Now the weather channel says it's 31, and I believe them, Ed

[spockvr6]

My heat pump just started smoking, and I went to hose the frost off, and the water in the hose is nearly entirly frozen, Ed

I guess that tells you how accurate your thermometer is! LOL

I am right with ya though, I just went out back and checked my hose and although it wasnt frozen, I could tell it was damn close!

[edric]

My heat pump just started smoking, and I went to hose the frost off, and the water in the hose is nearly entirly frozen, Ed

Now the weather channel says it's 31, and I believe them, Ed

Incredable I had the sensor sitting up against the base of the house on the north side even, and moved it six inches away, and already it's reading 34.2, Ed

[Okie]

Well not as cold as last night, but I saw some of frost on my roof. At 7:50 am it's 37.4 F

[Jimbean]

Holy crap! I feel like I just jumped a bullet on that one!

Here is the bottom out at 6:30:

and here we are at 7:30:

[spockvr6]

My heat pump just started smoking, and I went to hose the frost off, and the water in the hose is nearly entirly frozen, Ed

Now the weather channel says it's 31, and I believe them, Ed

Incredable I had the sensor sitting up against the base of the house on the north side even, and moved it six inches away, and already it's reading 34.2, Ed

Yeah...as youve seen, you cant have the sensor right up against your house. It will always read warmer there.

[bubba]

It was definitely warmer here last night. Temperature at 7:00 was 43F and it is getting warmer quickly. This,notwithstanding,"cold hole"WPB airport reported 36F. I hope farmers in the Glades and throughout the state faired better than expected.Alot of helicopter time was spoken for over the remaining Winter corn fields last night in the Glades.A little freeze just bumps sucrose levels in cane.

[spockvr6]

Holy crap! I feel like I just jumped a bullet on that one!

Yes...thankfully this was not the "coldest air since 1989".........Some warm areas of central FL didnt even drop out of the 40's! Not my yard of course

[iamjv]

Yes it seems a little colder in most areas this morning.... Jv

[gsn]

bottomed out at 29.4F here in Titusville,thankfully!

The whole state of Florida dodged a bullet last night.

If the hard freeze,and freeze warnings,had been realized as predicted last night, alot of yards would look very different this morning!

[SubTropicRay]

That's a bullet the size of Texas we dodged. This winter still gets a passing grade here so far.

This air mass is warmer than last weeks believe it or not. If the low pressure that brought the Carolinas all the snow this week had formed last week during that real arctic blast, Florida would have had another 1980's type freeze.

[rozpalm]

Broke 40deg around 3am and was 37.3 at 6:30am. I think my lake really helped keep my temps up. Only 5miles away they were in the high 30's at midnight.

[Palmateer]

Central Pinellas, for the most part, stayed above freezing

36.9 F at my location at 7:30 AM

Albert Whitted airport, near Kopsick Arboretum, reported a 42 degree minimum

[spockvr6]

Albert Whitted airport, near Kopsick Arboretum, reported a 42 degree minimum

That is no doubt the area of Pinellas to be in if one wants to grow tender tropicals. One doesnt even need to see the weather data to tell that this particular area is sheltered from much of the cold. Just a few blocks away, the foliage changes dramatically.

[popper1]

It was the dew points that saved us. At sundown many areas had dew points in the teens & low 20's. (In the other Florida cold thread you can see these low numbers in the FAWN estimates that Larry posted.) By about 10 PM or so that had risen to the upper 20's in many areas and that kept the real low temps from coming. But that did lead to the very heavy frosts that some areas had. The dew points were in the teens & low 20s the previous night so frost was minimal even as the winds became very light just before dawn.

[spockvr6]

It was the dew points that saved us. At sundown many areas had dew points in the teens & low 20's. (In the other Florida cold thread you can see these low numbers in the FAWN estimates that Larry posted.) By about 10 PM or so that had risen to the upper 20's in many areas and that kept the real low temps from coming. But that did lead to the very heavy frosts that some areas had. The dew points were in the teens & low 20s the previous night so frost was minimal even as the winds became very light just before dawn.

Great point popper!

The higher dewpoints can be a doubled edged sword.....they keep temps up, but also aid in frost formation. Perhaps we are better off taking our chances with frost and temps right around freezing than no frost and temps in the low-mid 20's!

[popper1]

Good point Larry!

It was colder Tuesday night but I had little if any damage to huge vines of various Passiflora. Last night was warmer but with the frost they got burned.

[spockvr6]

David-

I will have to check some of my vines (Clerodedron, Allamanda, Stictocardia). To be honest, I am hoping that some of them got burned back!

I did see that Sanchezia looked OK this AM, which shocked me. This stuff usually shows damage at temps less than 40F. Maybe the damage will show up later, or perhaps all the cold this winter has hardened them off?

[spockvr6]

I will have to check some of my vines (Clerodedron, Allamanda, Stictocardia). To be honest, I am hoping that some of them got burned back!

I got my wish.....just came home at lunch and see that the Stictocardia is already 90% black! The other vines only show mild damage.

I also see that many of my tallest and most exposed Traveller's Tree leaves have been burned. They are already taking on that whitish curled look. These leaves got frozen

[cfkingfish]

I bottomed out at 34F in the front yard around 710 this morning. Frost on the rooftops and grass but nothing too bad. I think I have the world's wimpiest Veitchia though!

[Crownshafter]

I had the unfortunate timing of a road trip and had to leave town 2 days ago. Will be back home tomorrow. It was 37 degrees on my min/max temp on wed morning, I wont know how cold it got last night although it looked much colder then 37.

Question is how soon will I know if my palm were affected ? Is this something I will know immediately or it will take several months to realizes which ones are dead ?

[www.dadluvsu.com]

I've always thought cold damage was noticable within a week or so... The real killer, as I understand, is the fungi born that are associated with cold and moist conditions, this is what causes palms to decline months after a cold spell.

[tikitiki]

I think your right there. What do you use as a preventative measure?

I've always thought cold damage was noticable within a week or so... The real killer, as I understand, is the fungi born that are associated with cold and moist conditions, this is what causes palms to decline months after a cold spell.

[SubTropicRay]

Traveler palm foliage is as tender as that of a banana.

[Tyrone]

20C min here with 17C dewpoint. No frost thankfully.

Sorry I couldn't resist.

[Palm Guy]

We are getting hit by the same storms you guys in Florida are getting. Quite cool n chilly now with wind! BRRRR... Not supposed to warm up till Saturday. Over here the low was 56 F yesterday. Supposed to be another 56 day tomorrow. Arrggh.

I hope everyone's palms make it out ok!

[edric]

My state of the art digital Springfield thermometer, reads 35.6 this morning, the weather channel says it's 40, yesterday mine read 41.1 at 6:25, and the weather channel read 30, it's on the north side of the house, could it be the wind chill affecting both thermometers, Ed

Edrich-

The easiest thing to do is just look at other stations around you to see if your temps make sense (see attached).

Wind chill wont affect thermometers (unless they are wet), so you probably have the sensor where it is picking up heat from some other source. It is not always easy to find a good measurement location! I have spent hours in my yard trying to find a good spot. Ideally, the sensor would be in a wide open area with nothing but grass surrounding it and not near any house walls, trees, etc etc...but this is not always so easy to do in typical suburban yards.

Where is that link to those local weather stations you have, thanks Ed

[spockvr6]

My state of the art digital Springfield thermometer, reads 35.6 this morning, the weather channel says it's 40, yesterday mine read 41.1 at 6:25, and the weather channel read 30, it's on the north side of the house, could it be the wind chill affecting both thermometers, Ed

Edrich-

The easiest thing to do is just look at other stations around you to see if your temps make sense (see attached).

Wind chill wont affect thermometers (unless they are wet), so you probably have the sensor where it is picking up heat from some other source. It is not always easy to find a good measurement location! I have spent hours in my yard trying to find a good spot. Ideally, the sensor would be in a wide open area with nothing but grass surrounding it and not near any house walls, trees, etc etc...but this is not always so easy to do in typical suburban yards.

Where is that link to those local weather stations you have, thanks Ed

Here you go.....you can pan around, zoom, etc etc.

http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat...793&zoom=10

[Okie]

I got 38.8 F and frost everywhere.............

[edric]

My state of the art digital Springfield thermometer, reads 35.6 this morning, the weather channel says it's 40, yesterday mine read 41.1 at 6:25, and the weather channel read 30, it's on the north side of the house, could it be the wind chill affecting both thermometers, Ed

Edrich-

The easiest thing to do is just look at other stations around you to see if your temps make sense (see attached).

Wind chill wont affect thermometers (unless they are wet), so you probably have the sensor where it is picking up heat from some other source. It is not always easy to find a good measurement location! I have spent hours in my yard trying to find a good spot. Ideally, the sensor would be in a wide open area with nothing but grass surrounding it and not near any house walls, trees, etc etc...but this is not always so easy to do in typical suburban yards.

Where is that link to those local weather stations you have, thanks Ed

Thank you so much, but what does the purple areas mean, thanks Ed

Here you go.....you can pan around, zoom, etc etc.

http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat...793&zoom=10

[spockvr6]

Ed-

The purple is radar junk. Scroll down and unclick the box for "NEXRAD" radar.

[edric]

Ed-

The purple is radar junk. Scroll down and unclick the box for "NEXRAD" radar.

It took me awhile, but when it kept changing I finally figured that out, thanks for your help, Ed

[SubTropicRay]

Did I mention to you guys that I boarded up my windows for this freeze? Freeze season is after all as important as hurricane season. This time of year, boarding up prevents someone from having to witness the carnage taking place as the thermometer plummets.

[Davidl]

Ray that's a good idea except you have to come out sometime.

[tikitiki]

I stayed above freezing as well on the third night and with alot of frost. I believe all I have is some cosmetic damage due to frost.

I got 38.8 F and frost everywhere.............