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February Freeze?


gsytch

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Same here 35.9F was the low in Titusville

Not as cold as THEY predicted, go figure!

Scott

Titusville, FL

1/2 mile from the Indian River

USDA Zone COLD

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here's what I woke up to this morning.....post-57-1265894913515_thumb.jpgpost-57-12658949310746_thumb.jpg

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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Cold sunny day today after a light frost last night, a bit of snow here either but way not so much as the picture from Bobby. Long term forecast keep us cool and frosty to somewhere next week. Way to far for being sure but then it's looks it going to get finally milder again.

The only good thing about this winter, it's not really wet at all but that's normal when it's frosty.. damn winter! :rage:

Southwest

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I just wanna punch Al Gore in the face :angry: .........again!

Get in line !!! Probably hard to find him now, buried under several feet of snow.

Eric

Orlando, FL

zone 9b/10a

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Can we please knock off the Al Gore face punching fest? It's a little old and more than slightly disrespectful.

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

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I feel your angst & share your sorrow\ anger. But lets keep things in perspective. I've had the privilege of a several day visit in the Tampa bay area & quickly came to the conclusion that St. Petersburg was where I would want to live. The towering royals, mammoth banyan & tropical foliage everywhere. You live in a wonderful region for palm lovers & we envy the beauty of Florida. It hurt all of us to vicariously experience the frost that attacked the palm paradise. But I can assure you that the trees will recover & new palms will grow fast to replace the old. Don't be too discouraged because this will be a distance memory by summer. ;)

Thank you for that, happ. Yes, really it is a wonderful place - and you put it in very good perspective. We are so fortunate to live in what you call our palm paradise. So I do feel bad for griping about it.... at a time when everyone from the mid-atlantic up is battling horrendous blizzards and collapsing buildings... and the people of CA are beset by mudslides that destroy their homes.

It's just hard, when you've created your garden over 20 years, and have raised nice big lutescens (still one of my faves), phat & green and lush - from a pot of seedlings in the $1 throwaway bin at (big box store). Happ, I took one of the seedlings and grew it into a double-trunked lutescens that was just amazing. Another seedling I separated out grew into a nice mid-sized 5 trunk beauty that I kept trimmed. Another, grown from barely more than a seedling was huge.

A juvie lepto was really growing - the triangle teddies were amazing. I grew my spindle from a juvie into a nice big beauty. and so on...

Then there were the crotons - Gloriosa, Queen Victoria, Gold Dust, AFD5, Nestor, Rainbow, Stoplight, mammies - all gone. My two huge bougies that flowered consistently - a cascade of brilliant flowers - nothing but dead sticks. It's sad to look at - but What makes it really upsetting is that I can't just go out on the weekends and DO SOMETHING about it.

No one can underestimate the feelings we have for growing beautiful things. :(

Didn't mean to sound scolding but rather to assure Florida & Gulf coast gardeners that it will repair. Perhaps some California members would be willing to resurrect photos of the 2007 freeze. This is not who can out do the other on coldness but I must inform you of what every winter produces in my garden. Taken minutes ago: ptychosperma & veitchia that will continue to decline well into March :sick:

2-11-10004.jpg

2-11-10002.jpg

Edited by happ

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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I feel your angst & share your sorrow\ anger. But lets keep things in perspective. I've had the privilege of a several day visit in the Tampa bay area & quickly came to the conclusion that St. Petersburg was where I would want to live. The towering royals, mammoth banyan & tropical foliage everywhere. You live in a wonderful region for palm lovers & we envy the beauty of Florida. It hurt all of us to vicariously experience the frost that attacked the palm paradise. But I can assure you that the trees will recover & new palms will grow fast to replace the old. Don't be too discouraged because this will be a distance memory by summer. ;)

No one can underestimate the feelings we have for growing beautiful things. :(

Didn't mean to sound scolding but rather to assure Florida & Gulf coast gardeners that it will repair. Perhaps some California members would be willing to resurrect photos of the 2007 freeze. This is not who can out do the other on coldness but I must inform you of what every winter produces in my garden. Taken minutes ago: ptychosperma & veitchia that will continue to decline well into March :sick:

2-11-10004.jpg

2-11-10002.jpg

Happ I also can appreciate you trying to make us feel better,what with ya'll having to deal with violent storms out there in California and all, and a low of 39F for this winter!thanks

But there is a big difference between (DEAD) brown and DOWN, and yellow turning green durning 3 months of summer!

DEAD brown doesn't REPAIR, yellow does somewhat with warmer weather! Even things that aren't completely dead but are completely defoliated, it takes most palms 2 full years to regrow an entire canopy,and that is if it grows as it did before being frozen? From experience even if it survives, it might not ever be the same palm again, growth wise !

I wish this would all be a distant memory by summer! just sayin!

Edited by gsn

Scott

Titusville, FL

1/2 mile from the Indian River

USDA Zone COLD

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Another beautiful day here in Tampa Bay ~ not!~ Milky sunshine at best, highs in the lower to middle 50's. Last night was not as cold as they said as the wind stayed up. Never fell below 41F. Forecast for Friday? Rainy, breezy, all day 100% chance, high NEAR 50F~ Sat - clearing, breezy, 50's, sat night below 40F and Sun a "nice day according to some"...maybe we can push 60F? I taught in a trenchcoat and gloves today because cool air was blowing in my classroom. I am typing this with cold fingers. This sucks! I just want it over with so I can get back in the yard. I haven't done but an hour of work outside in a month, and my yard looks horrible front and back. I wear gloves for warmth, but it is just too cold! Greg....tired of this winter and ready to move!

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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Another beautiful day here in Tampa Bay ~ not!~ Milky sunshine at best, highs in the lower to middle 50's. Last night was not as cold as they said as the wind stayed up. Never fell below 41F. Forecast for Friday? Rainy, breezy, all day 100% chance, high NEAR 50F~ Sat - clearing, breezy, 50's, sat night below 40F and Sun a "nice day according to some"...maybe we can push 60F? I taught in a trenchcoat and gloves today because cool air was blowing in my classroom. I am typing this with cold fingers. This sucks! I just want it over with so I can get back in the yard. I haven't done but an hour of work outside in a month, and my yard looks horrible front and back. I wear gloves for warmth, but it is just too cold! Greg....tired of this winter and ready to move!

Yep, my yard is trashed too and I can't even clean it up :rage:

The only things left green are my roeb, totally hidden under dead dypsis fronds, and the glauca, hidden behind a very sickly-looking spindle. Bleah....

Okay - what happened with the weekend forecast? I left this morning and they were saying 60's.... I get home and the temps are barely going to get into the 50s? Today, it was "brisk." Friday soggy, weekend cold...

And it's sad going to work and seeing - what were - some really nice palm gardens along the way. And they're dead. As Scott said - there's a difference between things that are dead and things are a bit down. This stuff is dead. I mean we had the tropical beauties here for the past 20 years and in just one really bad frost it's all gone, at least in my neighborhood. And it's even worse for Scott, because his temps were even lower - freezing wx that kept coming back.

Btw, gsytch - what grades/subject do you teach?

St. Pete

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

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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I was up in NW rural Pasco about 15 mins east of Hudson - what they call the Shafy Hills area. It was unreal! I saw a WHOLE CIDP frozen, at least 25' tall, Washingtonias fried, L. chinensis fried. The only palms untouched were the native Sabals. Then, as you go SW and begin to enter my area, the same stuff is almost fine, if not perfect incl Queens. I actually think the Queens at the edge of my campus on someones yard are dead! They look like they are collapsing on top. Mine, 14 mi S and W toward the coast, pristine. I know I probably give mine much better care, but OMG what a difference. The students' house I was at was on open land, rural, and the mom said 17F! Good God! I barely went below 28F, but of course, there were numerous freezes and duration. Greg

HIBERNATING for the winter in Florida!

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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Can we please knock off the Al Gore face punching fest? It's a little old and more than slightly disrespectful.

There was a funny bit on the Daily Show last night, which started off with actual Fox News incredulously anti-GW hype and progressed to ridiculous assertations, like a GW-defending reporter alarmed at the 92 degree high in February (nevermind that they were in the southern hemisphere), and another panicking about how just a few hours ago the sun was shining, and now it was dark out and the sun had been "replaced by a much dimmer sun," meaning the earth was now never going to be light again. Who ever said we were never going to have snow again? There's a difference between "weather" and "climate."

Eric

St. Petersburg, FL

www.myspace.com/koolthing78

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(I'm not saying that I necessarily believe in human-influenced climate change, but I also have no proof that it doesn't exist. But anyone who uses an isolated storm, winter, or even series of winters as an argument against climate change either doesn't have a clear understanding of the concept of climate, or is resorting to the same sort of propaganda tactics they claim to find so outrageous when coming from the other side.)

Eric

St. Petersburg, FL

www.myspace.com/koolthing78

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(I'm not saying that I necessarily believe in human-influenced climate change, but I also have no proof that it doesn't exist. But anyone who uses an isolated storm, winter, or even series of winters as an argument against climate change either doesn't have a clear understanding of the concept of climate, or is resorting to the same sort of propaganda tactics they claim to find so outrageous when coming from the other side.)

Thank you for the voice of reason! :greenthumb:

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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-5C last night! :rage:

Now 3C and sun is shining.. I hope my palms would survive this second horrible winter. A half month to go before it's March let's hope then the first spring weather will give us some signs..

I'm sick of the cold!

Southwest

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Really wierd here last night... the predicted temp was for 41F-43F depending on the predictor?

The actual low was 47.8F at 12:00 AM, it hovered around 48F ALL night until about 5:00 AM then started to rise... I realize the cloud cover probably kept the temps UP..but they knew there would be cloud cover last night to factor into their predictions? :hmm:

Predicted lows for here the next 5 days are anywhere from 34F to 40F again depending on source!

They haven't even been close on the predicted lows the last 2 nights... they have predicted considerably lower than it has gotten, might not be a very good sign for the upcoming week,because if they can MISS it by that much LOW they can MISS it by that much HIGH!!! :rolleyes:

Scott

Titusville, FL

1/2 mile from the Indian River

USDA Zone COLD

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(I'm not saying that I necessarily believe in human-influenced climate change, but I also have no proof that it doesn't exist. But anyone who uses an isolated storm, winter, or even series of winters as an argument against climate change either doesn't have a clear understanding of the concept of climate, or is resorting to the same sort of propaganda tactics they claim to find so outrageous when coming from the other side.)

Thank you for the voice of reason! :greenthumb:

As far as I see it the only thing that climate has ever done is change. Since the majority of the time over the past million years the Earth has been in ice ages rather than interglacials it seems likely that at some time the planet will transition back into this state. I agree that only time will tell what is really happening. The one thing for certain a colder planet is less friendly than a warmer one.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

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Spring is officially here in Las Vegas. I don't expect to see freezing temperatures for another 9-10 months :D

70 degrees this weekend with a warm forecast ahead :)

Adam 

 

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Another beautiful day here in Tampa Bay ~ not!~ Milky sunshine at best, highs in the lower to middle 50's. Last night was not as cold as they said as the wind stayed up. Never fell below 41F. Forecast for Friday? Rainy, breezy, all day 100% chance, high NEAR 50F~ Sat - clearing, breezy, 50's, sat night below 40F and Sun a "nice day according to some"...maybe we can push 60F? I taught in a trenchcoat and gloves today because cool air was blowing in my classroom. I am typing this with cold fingers. This sucks! I just want it over with so I can get back in the yard. I haven't done but an hour of work outside in a month, and my yard looks horrible front and back. I wear gloves for warmth, but it is just too cold! Greg....tired of this winter and ready to move!

This has sure been a lingering cold event. But seriously, how often do you get winters like this? Maybe once in 15-20 years. I'm out here in Denver, CO, and they call it mild today with high in mid 40s and lows in mid 20s. (normal is 46/18) I can't wait to get back to good old FLA, to thaw out. The growing season here is from Mother's Day through mid September. No palms. Lots of snow. That said, I can see why you want to move to a warmer place, where the tropical foliage won't be periodically wiped out. Fort Myers is better (see attachments), and if you could swing it, Pine Island (30 min. away) is an excellent microclimate--they grow all kinds of tropical fruits there.

That's where I'd like to retire to, and go fishing most every day...hopefully in 3 years!

displaced_floridian

Attached are this month's temps for tampa and ft. myers for your comparison. (I know St.Pete has lower maxs and higher mins than tpa)

post-4141-1266012303059_thumb.jpg

post-4141-12660123251866_thumb.jpg

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Spring is officially here in Las Vegas. I don't expect to see freezing temperatures for another 9-10 months :D

70 degrees this weekend with a warm forecast ahead :)

Hate to remind you but it is mid-February & winter is long from being over just because a strong ridge is developing over the Southwest. Maybe in mid-March we can breath a sigh of relieve.

Also, some changes in the long wave pattern are showing up in computer models starting around Feb. 20. Here is an except of a weather discussion on AMS_LA chapter from a few days ago:

"First, cold air that is over the East Coast may move northward just west of Greenland and eventually retrogress westward across the northern portions of Canada, into the Yukon, and ultimately spilling deep cold air into the northern Gulf of Alaska – this could create a very deep trough of low pressure off the West Coast of the United States around February 22nd. Second, at the same time, the jet stream in the Pacific engorged with sub-tropical moisture and energy from the El Nino will race at 220 kts at the 500 mb level right at Central and Southern California. At this time, the details are becoming more clear; but the prospect of a very wet and windy pattern returning to California from February 20th through March 3rd, 2010 looks more and more likely with each run of the forecast models".

Cold arctic air "spilling" into the Gulf of Alaska is close enough to raise concerns for all the Western U.S.

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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Spring is officially here in Las Vegas. I don't expect to see freezing temperatures for another 9-10 months :D

70 degrees this weekend with a warm forecast ahead :)

Hate to remind you but it is mid-February & winter is long from being over just because a strong ridge is developing over the Southwest. Maybe in mid-March we can breath a sigh of relieve.

Also, some changes in the long wave pattern are showing up in computer models starting around Feb. 20. Here is an except of a weather discussion on AMS_LA chapter from a few days ago:

"First, cold air that is over the East Coast may move northward just west of Greenland and eventually retrogress westward across the northern portions of Canada, into the Yukon, and ultimately spilling deep cold air into the northern Gulf of Alaska – this could create a very deep trough of low pressure off the West Coast of the United States around February 22nd. Second, at the same time, the jet stream in the Pacific engorged with sub-tropical moisture and energy from the El Nino will race at 220 kts at the 500 mb level right at Central and Southern California. At this time, the details are becoming more clear; but the prospect of a very wet and windy pattern returning to California from February 20th through March 3rd, 2010 looks more and more likely with each run of the forecast models".

Cold arctic air "spilling" into the Gulf of Alaska is close enough to raise concerns for all the Western U.S.

I think the statement is a little over-dramatic to say the least. If you look out over the next 340 hours, the model ensembles are all over the place. Nobody knows specifics this far out.

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

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Spring is officially here in Las Vegas. I don't expect to see freezing temperatures for another 9-10 months biggrin.gif

70 degrees this weekend with a warm forecast ahead smilie.gif

Hate to remind you but it is mid-February & winter is long from being over just because a strong ridge is developing over the Southwest. Maybe in mid-March we can breath a sigh of relieve.

Also, some changes in the long wave pattern are showing up in computer models starting around Feb. 20. Here is an except of a weather discussion on AMS_LA chapter from a few days ago:

"First, cold air that is over the East Coast may move northward just west of Greenland and eventually retrogress westward across the northern portions of Canada, into the Yukon, and ultimately spilling deep cold air into the northern Gulf of Alaska – this could create a very deep trough of low pressure off the West Coast of the United States around February 22nd. Second, at the same time, the jet stream in the Pacific engorged with sub-tropical moisture and energy from the El Nino will race at 220 kts at the 500 mb level right at Central and Southern California. At this time, the details are becoming more clear; but the prospect of a very wet and windy pattern returning to California from February 20th through March 3rd, 2010 looks more and more likely with each run of the forecast models".

Cold arctic air "spilling" into the Gulf of Alaska is close enough to raise concerns for all the Western U.S.

I think the statement is a little over-dramatic to say the least. If you look out over the next 340 hours, the model ensembles are all over the place. Nobody knows specifics this far out.

,

I am not sure it is. In the past years, March has sometimes been bitterly cold. And after what I have seen so far this winter, I don't think I'll breath easy till Easter or the Pecan Trees break dormancy.

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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Hate to remind you but it is mid-February & winter is long from being over just because a strong ridge is developing over the Southwest. Maybe in mid-March we can breath a sigh of relieve.

"ultimately spilling deep cold air into the northern Gulf of Alaska.... At this time, the details are becoming more clear; but the prospect of a very wet and windy pattern returning to California from February 20th through March 3rd, 2010 looks more and more likely with each run of the forecast models".

Cold arctic air "spilling" into the Gulf of Alaska is close enough to raise concerns for all the Western U.S.

Seriously?? Cold air in Alaska and "very wet and windy pattern returning to California" should worry me?

The odds of frost in my area in the next month are approximately 3720:1

I'll take those odds :D

Adam 

 

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Hate to remind you but it is mid-February & winter is long from being over just because a strong ridge is developing over the Southwest. Maybe in mid-March we can breath a sigh of relieve.

"ultimately spilling deep cold air into the northern Gulf of Alaska.... At this time, the details are becoming more clear; but the prospect of a very wet and windy pattern returning to California from February 20th through March 3rd, 2010 looks more and more likely with each run of the forecast models".

Cold arctic air "spilling" into the Gulf of Alaska is close enough to raise concerns for all the Western U.S.

Seriously?? Cold air in Alaska and "very wet and windy pattern returning to California" should worry me?

The odds of frost in my area in the next month are approximately 3720:1

I'll take those odds :D

Those are pretty good odds [how do you arrive at that figure?]. Considering you are from Las Vegas I suppose you know the "odds" well :lol:

The chances of an arctic outbreak in late Feb [and esp March] lower day by day but I do recall March 2006 as being the coldest month of the entire year & freezing temps did occur a few times in parts of California & Nevada. This year the arctic influence has been considerable but if El Nino moisture is mixed in than it is cold but not too cold [similar to what occurred in late January].

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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No one can underestimate the feelings we have for growing beautiful things. :(

Didn't mean to sound scolding but rather to assure Florida & Gulf coast gardeners that it will repair.

No, Happ - you didn't sound "scolding" at all. You were offering encouragement when it is really needed, and I appreciate that.

It's just that in one sense, this won't repair. I mean, personally I can start all over again and plan some canopy, and select different varieties and so on. Or can re-plant with my favorites and plan better cold-protections. But.....

A number of us in this area have been growing tropical palms for about 20 years with - yeah, a couple of nail-biting events but - no real problems and basically, our little neighborhood looked like something you might see in Miami. (Well, the plants were. The houses - not so much hehe)

Anyway, you looked around and what you saw were yards with beautifully grown palms, plumeria, crotons, fistula, jatropha, royal poinciana. Now, almost all of it is dead..... and what will they be replanted with? more yaupon? more ligustrum? more disgusting boring dreck that was here in the 80's......

Because - and this is the real dilemma for us and also probably Scott in Titusville, and Greg in New Port Richey, and Larry in Tarpon if he ever comes back, and Ray Tampa who I think gave up..... this is the problem:

There are beautiful palms that can more than tolerate this kind of s--- freeze watches, cold spells, stupid once-in-20-year-kill-all-your-plants frosts, but there are real beauties out there that will sail right through it, giving you decades of beauty. BUT....

THEY ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE!! So no one is going to replace dead foxtails, dead adonidia, bottles, triangles, etc with other palms - ones that have no problem here, which are:

Mule palms, cocoid crosses, R. glaucas, P. rupicolas, (maybe) teddy x tri, morrissiis, which would combine to make beautiful gardens but seriously... where the hell are they????? :rage:

Yeah, I personally can go to the growers - well, actually I can't but maybe by summer - and buy from the hobby-palmnuts... but most people will go down to (stupid big box) and pick up some stupid boring thing and what really saddens me is thinking how the whole look of the area is going to change. for the worse.

St. Pete

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

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Watch out, this is a tricky one. Last night's low of 32 turned out to be 28 with ice all over the place. This is one heck of a winter.

And I echo many of the scentiments stated in the above post.

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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Watch out, this is a tricky one. Last night's low of 32 turned out to be 28 with ice all over the place. This is one heck of a winter.

And I echo many of the scentiments stated in the above post.

What they missed the forecast HIGH by 4 degrees only hours before the event,who would have thunk it???

And here people are debating how accurate forecasts are 10 or 20 days out??? :hmm:

Heck just 3 days ago my forecast range for tonights low was between 41F and 44F, there is no way my actual low tonight will be that high!

There in lies the problem of weather forecasting, if you have a forecast low for 36F and they miss it by the same amount you have a freeze instead of a cold event. As in your case a LIGHT freeze 32F ,turns into a HARD freeze 28F! This is exactly why any forecast at or around 35-36 I start to get a little nervous,as it can easily go below freezing,I have seen it time and again missed both ways !

Edited by gsn

Scott

Titusville, FL

1/2 mile from the Indian River

USDA Zone COLD

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No one can underestimate the feelings we have for growing beautiful things. :(

Didn't mean to sound scolding but rather to assure Florida & Gulf coast gardeners that it will repair.

No, Happ - you didn't sound "scolding" at all. You were offering encouragement when it is really needed, and I appreciate that.

It's just that in one sense, this won't repair. I mean, personally I can start all over again and plan some canopy, and select different varieties and so on. Or can re-plant with my favorites and plan better cold-protections. But.....

A number of us in this area have been growing tropical palms for about 20 years with - yeah, a couple of nail-biting events but - no real problems and basically, our little neighborhood looked like something you might see in Miami. (Well, the plants were. The houses - not so much hehe)

Anyway, you looked around and what you saw were yards with beautifully grown palms, plumeria, crotons, fistula, jatropha, royal poinciana. Now, almost all of it is dead..... and what will they be replanted with? more yaupon? more ligustrum? more disgusting boring dreck that was here in the 80's......

Because - and this is the real dilemma for us and also probably Scott in Titusville, and Greg in New Port Richey, and Larry in Tarpon if he ever comes back, and Ray Tampa who I think gave up..... this is the problem:

There are beautiful palms that can more than tolerate this kind of s--- freeze watches, cold spells, stupid once-in-20-year-kill-all-your-plants frosts, but there are real beauties out there that will sail right through it, giving you decades of beauty. BUT....

THEY ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE!! So no one is going to replace dead foxtails, dead adonidia, bottles, triangles, etc with other palms - ones that have no problem here, which are:

Mule palms, cocoid crosses, R. glaucas, P. rupicolas, (maybe) teddy x tri, morrissiis, which would combine to make beautiful gardens but seriously... where the hell are they????? :rage:

Yeah, I personally can go to the growers - well, actually I can't but maybe by summer - and buy from the hobby-palmnuts... but most people will go down to (stupid big box) and pick up some stupid boring thing and what really saddens me is thinking how the whole look of the area is going to change. for the worse.

Frankly, it's hard to accept what happened in Florida last month & am very grateful that gems like Fairchild were spared. How did the gardens around the university & Kanapaha reserve fare? :(

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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and Larry in Tarpon if he ever comes back,

I am still here, and I think most of my palms and plants will be in a few more months as well!

Larry 

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

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I am seriously going to be looking for those palms that can tolerate some cold. I do not care if they get damaged once every few years if they come back after pruning. The problem now is....it has been so cold, so wet, so breezy/chilly, that I cannot get out there to do the work. So, it keeps getting worse and looks so awful! I tried a little today, but lower 50's with a brisk breeze are not my kind of weather to work in. I can handle 60F or so. I can only wonder if the dead foliage, combined with cold, wet conditions, is doing harm. I can see leaves festering everywhere. I still cannot believe how much damage is on my bromeliads. None are dead but they look terrible. I found some silver euros at WallyWorld for $15 and a Needle for $15 - all really nice sized! But, that is only a beginning. I am also going to start underplanting with Camellias, etc that can handle winters, and then try to grow more tropical stuff that if it freezes, I hack it and it comes back (Justicia, Salvia, etc). It is 48F now at 530pm..how low? I am sooooooooo sick of it! Yesterday I was freezing in my classroom. They couldn't heat the school enough to keep it reasonable. Oh well, the winter from hell continues. Greg :(

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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We have a consenus all 4 prognosticators are saying a low of 34F for tonight for my location...

NWS, Weather.com, Weatherunderground,and Accuweather,all have the same number, kinda rare...

There are NO freeze warnings issued,not even a freeze watch...

It is already 39.8F here at 8:30 PM, we shall see? If it doesn't stabilize somewhere between now and 8:00AM I don't see how they can possibily be right? :hmm: But I hope they are... It has been dropping like a rock since the sun went down!

Edited by gsn

Scott

Titusville, FL

1/2 mile from the Indian River

USDA Zone COLD

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Can we please knock off the Al Gore face punching fest? It's a little old and more than slightly disrespectful.

Maybe he should show us some respect and quit shoving global warming down everyone's throat.

That being said, we saw a low of 27* here last night.

Zone 9 Central Florida

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Happ,

I went to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago and it looked rough! Not so much for palms because most, if not all, of their palms are cold tolerant species. Kinda boring, in my opinion, as few other botanical garden compares to Fairchild and Montgomery for Palms. I didn't go there for Palms, anyway. I went there to see some bamboo and camellias.

bob

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Can we please knock off the Al Gore face punching fest? It's a little old and more than slightly disrespectful.
Maybe he should show us some respect and quit shoving global warming down everyone's throat. That being said, we saw a low of 27* here last night.

Skip to 3:30 :D

http://www.hulu.com/watch/127529/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-unusually-large-snowstorm

Edited by velutina

Adam 

 

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The forecast for the upcoming - snow in the Fla Panhandle, chance of frost/light freeze into interior South Florida, Tues/Wed/Thur then we begin to warm up some. There is actually a prediction of....get this.....70F by Sat!!!!!!!!!!!! But, to get there it will be a chilly 3 days midweek. Again. and Again! It is a balmy 55F here in my yard under clear skies. I sat in my patio chair in the sun with a hoodie on for 1/2 hour just to "feel" what the sun's warmth is like...Greg :blink:

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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57.4 (normal low) here at 2 p.m. Unfortunately, clouds obscure most of the sunshine. Yesterday soared to 57.7 but winds gusted 20-30 mph. I went out only to get the mail. High may hit 70 Fri but weatherpeople said same thing about last Fri and the previous Tues and.... Fact is, it hasn't hit 70 the entire month. Lately, high doesn't hit even 60, along with high winds, clouds, rain, yadda yadda.

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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It is getting so old, Meg. Where I am, there was the slightest hint of frost this morning on the top of my car and 35F. We had beautiful, blue skies today but only 55F. I worked in the yard, mostly cutting back DEAD stuff. If someone had told me a winter like this would happen, I'd call them bonkers! 70F?hmmmmm when was the last day we hit 70? Dunno...Greg

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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Just checked and we got down to 31 F this morning according to both of my thermometers. Still, some of my palms are trying to push new spears.

-Michael

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