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2018 Florida Freeze


Alan_Tampa

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16 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

Now that several months have passed, I have a clearer idea of how my palms were damaged by the big January 2018 freeze (two freezes, separated by only a week and a half).  This was the worst freeze since 2010 in my region. 

Obviously, all of my cold-hardy Palms had no damage, including queen palms. However, I had four types of crownshaft Palms too: Roystonea Regia, pseudophoenix sargentii, kentiopsis oliviformis and archontoiphoenix cunninghamiana.  None of these are appropriate for my zone 9a climate (almost 9b), but they were an experiment. 

The archontoiphoenix cunninghamiana are now all dead.  They had a good run for several years, but January 2018 did them all in.

The kentiopsis oliviformis may have suffered significant cold damage, but have now both come back again.  They still don't look perfect, but they are growing out big healthy leaves now. None died.

Roystonea Regis:  I had four or five juvenile Palms of this species and none survived.  I understand that this palm grows more cold-hardy with age, but that may just be palm gossip.

Pseudophoenix sargentii --I had four of these (fairly juvenile) and all died except for one.  It is not exactly back to normal either.  It has grown out a half leaf, but barely. The leaf looks stalled and I am not sure whether this palm will ever fully recover.

A few surprises in the non-palm world:

-hibiscus rosa-sinensis:  killed to the ground

- cordyline australis "red star" and "red Sensation": no damage at all

-Copper leaf:  killed to the ground and does not seem to be coming back.  I am surprised because these apparently do find in winter in nearby Jacksonville.  I had just planted this a week before the big freeze hit.

- Brazilian red cloak:  I had also purchased this tree just a week before the big freeze, sroots were not established and it was accustomed to living in much hotter South Florida.  The freeze killed it completely and it has not ccome back.

-Aloe hurcules:  killed

- bromeliads: have mostly come back to normal now, but were severely damaged in January.  Only the matchstick bromeliads suffered no cold damage at all.

-clusias:  dead

I could continue with a longer freeze report, but I will stop there.

 

My red copper defoliated about 80% every winter in Orlando but comes back vigorously. I'm surprised yours didnt make it. Maybe it had some other health problems?

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On 5/14/2018, 7:59:16, Chatta said:

Land O Lakes Coconut Palm (S.R 54 just pas US 41) Looks rough but It looks like it could survive.... This one definitely took a hard hit

20180514_130707e.jpg

How the heck is that thing still alive after all this time? I thought it would have died after the 2017 winter and surely after 2018. That part of LOL must still be 9B, but you wouldn't think that coconut could survive as long as it has. 

16 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

Now that several months have passed, I have a clearer idea of how my palms were damaged by the big January 2018 freeze (two freezes, separated by only a week and a half).  This was the worst freeze since 2010 in my region. 

Obviously, all of my cold-hardy Palms had no damage, including queen palms. However, I had four types of crownshaft Palms too: Roystonea Regia, pseudophoenix sargentii, kentiopsis oliviformis and archontoiphoenix cunninghamiana.  None of these are appropriate for my zone 9a climate (almost 9b), but they were an experiment. 

The archontoiphoenix cunninghamiana are now all dead.  They had a good run for several years, but January 2018 did them all in.

The kentiopsis oliviformis may have suffered significant cold damage, but have now both come back again.  They still don't look perfect, but they are growing out big healthy leaves now. None died.

Roystonea Regis:  I had four or five juvenile Palms of this species and none survived.  I understand that this palm grows more cold-hardy with age, but that may just be palm gossip.

Pseudophoenix sargentii --I had four of these (fairly juvenile) and all died except for one.  It is not exactly back to normal either.  It has grown out a half leaf, but barely. The leaf looks stalled and I am not sure whether this palm will ever fully recover.

A few surprises in the non-palm world:

-hibiscus rosa-sinensis:  killed to the ground

- cordyline australis "red star" and "red Sensation": no damage at all

-Copper leaf:  killed to the ground and does not seem to be coming back.  I am surprised because these apparently do find in winter in nearby Jacksonville.  I had just planted this a week before the big freeze hit.

- Brazilian red cloak:  I had also purchased this tree just a week before the big freeze, sroots were not established and it was accustomed to living in much hotter South Florida.  The freeze killed it completely and it has not ccome back.

-Aloe hurcules:  killed

- bromeliads: have mostly come back to normal now, but were severely damaged in January.  Only the matchstick bromeliads suffered no cold damage at all.

-clusias:  dead

I could continue with a longer freeze report, but I will stop there.

 

I'm surprised to hear your aloe died, I thought it was good to about 20f... Roystonea do get more cold hardy with age, but I kind of doubt mature ones would have survived the winter up there. I'm really surprised to he's your KO made it, but that's great news!

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Yeah, I guess it's true what they say about bud - hardiness having almost no correlation to leaf - hardiness.  My Kentiopsis Oliviformis have definitely been bud - hardy (I now have four of them; added two more since the winter). However, it's not a palm that anyone would want to put front and centre in any landscaping this far north.  They're good for extra summer/autumn foliage at the backdrop of your "jungle" ONLY because they won't look good in January or February most years up here.   

My takeaway from January 2018 is that it is amazing what a 3 Degree difference can make.  That was the only difference between what my tropical Palms tolerated successfully for many years. At least one night a year, they had seen maximum lows 26 or 27 degrees for eight years straight, then suddenly 23-24 degrees hit, and they were dead.  That's all it took.  If you have a 26 Degree yard, you can do so much more with your landscape than the person who has a 23 or 24 Degree yard
 

PJ, I am surprised that your copper leaf shrub defoliated in Orlando because I see some around there which look fine much of the year.  Were you located somewhere north or west of the city ( colder patches)?  I love how they grow into huge, thick hedges down in South Florida.

If anyone else out there has palm damage/recovery updates from this past January's two freezes, please post your updates here.  People are always glad to hear about pleasant surprises, especially. 

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January 2018 report:

Looking back at the freeze on Jan. 18th, it appears that Weather.com has adjusted their numbers.  Previously, they recorded 25F for that night.  Their numbers are now more in line with what my weather station recorded that night (28F).  Another issue that arises when I crunch the numbers is that the temperature seems to have varied significantly, depending on where it was recorded.  For reference, I’ve included readings from WeatherUnderground, Weather.com, and Accuweather.com.  You will notice differences that are significant to those of us who grow palms and tropical/subtropical plants.  For example, WeatherUnderground recorded lows of 28F and 24F on January 4th and January 18th, respectively.  For the same days, Weather.com recorded lows of 32F and 28F.  As @Sandy Loam mentioned, those 4 degrees make a significant difference.  @RedRabbit had mentioned months ago that our airport recorded temperatures in the mid-20s, which prompted me to check my weather station against the major weather sites.  At that point, I realized that the readings for each of the sites varied and that might explain the differences in damaged plants from one property to the next observed by many of us.

 

From previous comments and conversations, I think it helps to look at the winter or the month as a whole, as well as the advective nature of the freeze, to understand why the damage was more significant for this event than other events in the same temperature range.  We did have a less severe cool-off at the beginning of the month that was mostly radiational in nature. @Zeeth had pointed out that we had unseasonably warm temperatures just before the worst freeze on the 18th.  You can see days at or near 80F with lows in the 60s the week before we got the freeze.  That may have been enough to put plants in active growth.  In my case, when the freeze got here on the 18th, the wind blew between 10mph and 15mph all night.  My property is setup to break the wind in the back, but it is open in the front.  Overall, the average for the month using any of the sites was much below the 74F/50F average.  The below average temperatures overall coupled with 2 cold spells with a significant warmup in between might explain some of the weird but significant damage.

 

No damage: Phoenix dactylifera (exposed, west side), phoenix roebelenii (exposed, west side), phoenix theophrasti (potted), rhapis excelsa (exposed, north side), bismarckia nobilis (semi-covered, north/west side), cycas revolute (exposed, west side), chamaerops humilis var. cerifera (wind protected with canopy), citrus: orange, Persian lime (wind protected without canopy), bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) (wind protected without canopy), rhapidophyllum hystrix (wind protected with canopy), sabal minor (wind protected with canopy)

Minor damage: philodendron bipinnatifidum (exposed, west side), sugarcane (wind protected with canopy), bambusa oldhami (semi-wind protected), avocado (semi-wind protected, ‘Black Prince’?), mango (semi-wind protected, ‘Glenn’?)

Moderate damage: Coconuts (Malay dwarf, Maypan, Atlantic/Jamaican tall) - varying degrees of passive protection from wind plus fronds tied up and covered with towels or blankets.

Defoliation and recovery: coccoloba uvifera, bananas: dwarf cavendish, ice cream, neighbor’s mango tree (exposed), Green Malay dwarf coconut at another location (exposed)

 

Death: archontophoenix alexandrae - from a fungal infection.  The foliage had ~50%-60% burn and it appeared the palm would recover before going into decline. Green Malay dwarf coconut at another location (exposed) - this was a twin planting where one survived somehow and the other did not.

201809150050_Jan2018_AllWeather.png

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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On 9/14/2018, 5:15:31, Sandy Loam said:

Interesting.

I now have a fakahatchee Royal palm (still in pot), so it will hopefully prove more cold hardy.  My coldest temperature on the coldest night of the freeze was 24.3 F in one part of my yard and 23.4 in a different part of my yard.

That's also good to know about ponytail Palms.  I did not experience any trunk "mush" , thank goodness. 

Other Palms which had no damage in the big January freeze here are:  Rapids Excelsa, chamaedorea Microspadix, chamaedorea radicalis (both types), bismarckia nobilis, without any protection.  I am sure there are others which have not come to mind right now.  Many of my succulents and cacti were unharmed too, although some were completely killed after several years of thriving.

The ponytail that was mush is the one shown in the below photo. It grew back with five trunks, but I noticed today when I took this pic it now has a sixth small trunk. I didn't think the ponytail would come back, but it did. The odd thing I experienced this past winter is that my Brazilian red cloak shrub (you can see it up against the house, near the front) wasn't frost damaged. Yet, my coconut palm was severely frost damaged, as well as my large royal palm (not shown). My big FIcus altissima tree (not shown) in my front yard had no frost damage on leaves. My Brazilian red cloak shrub was about 10 feet or more high, and I cut it back hard this past spring. It's grown back substantially, although not quite as high yet. I had many Archontophoenix alexandrae and A. cunninghamia frost burned this past winter, ones that were more exposed. Others in more protected areas weren't hurt at all.

Ponytail 9-15-18.jpg

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Mad about palms

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wow. Perhaps my mistake with Brazillian Red Cloak was planting it a few days before the big freeze.  I assumed that it would defoliate in winter this far north, but I expected it to come back in the summer. 

 

It's good to hear about the resilience of pony taill palms. 

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i found this coconut jus south of the crosstown in hyde park tampa 

i saw the ones off the howard frankland today in the westshore district, they look good... recovering nicely. hopefully its a warm winter

20180912_131209.jpg

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Looking for:  crytostachys hybrids, Pseudophoenix sargentii Leucothrinax morrisii, livingstona canarensis

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Good find! Here's the coconut I planted at my brother's house in Davis Island. It did pretty well through the winter. 

signal-2018-09-07-171947.thumb.jpeg.6e04

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Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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  • 2 years later...

Managed to compile some old records from some of the personal weather stations in town.

Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1huC9RWSuJ9PRDG2sWqvVkRyYGimrs5HS&usp=sharing

Raw Data: See attached sheet.

For comparison, these were recorded at the airport (KLAL): Wunderground (25F), NOAA (25F), AccuWeather(24F), Weather.com(28F)

20180118_LakelandFreeze.xlsx

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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  • 10 months later...
On 1/9/2018 at 8:56 AM, Missi said:

Just put my tender potted plants back out on the lanai because we're back to lows in the 60s :wub: ...until this weekend when the lows will be in the 40s :rage::crying:

Out in the yard only my banana plants, soursop tree, sugar apple tree, tips of the new growth on the Ceiba trees, and new growth on Tithonia diversifolia are damaged. Sabal mauritiiformis, Pseudophoenix sargentii  and Copernicia baileyana made it through being coated in a thin layer of ice like champs! New growth on the rainbow eucalyptus (near one of the damaged Ceiba trees) showing zero damage :blink: Figure that out! 

I want to mention that while reading this i realized that you live in naples, but you think the winters are like 9b.

You are also inland.

I live in golden gate city and i think we have more of a strong 10b/weak 11a climate.

Interesting!

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2 hours ago, tvold said:

I want to mention that while reading this i realized that you live in naples, but you think the winters are like 9b.

You are also inland.

I live in golden gate city and i think we have more of a strong 10b/weak 11a climate.

Interesting!

I haven’t seen any data to suggest there’s an 11a climate on the west coast, but a few places come close. I think the gulf just doesn’t stay warm enough.

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15 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

I haven’t seen any data to suggest there’s an 11a climate on the west coast, but a few places come close. I think the gulf just doesn’t stay warm enough.

It is just the fact that the last time we were under 40 was 2010, every year since then has been 40 or above at the coldest temperature.

2018 Came close, but didn't go below 40.

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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2 hours ago, tvold said:

It is just the fact that the last time we were under 40 was 2010, every year since then has been 40 or above at the coldest temperature.

2018 Came close, but didn't go below 40.

Why don't you do this, get yourself a thermometer and put it in an appropriate place on your property.  When we get a cold event, perhaps sometime next month, you can report back to us what the temperature was and when, where, and how you recorded it. 

I looked on Google maps and saw a larger pond within Golden Gate, and perhaps if you live in proximity of that pond then you might have a warmer micro-climate. 

I'm like everyone else here in that I highly doubt you have a zone 11A.  10A conservatively, 10B arguably, but 11A is more than a stretch. 

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Brevard County, Fl

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4 hours ago, tvold said:

It is just the fact that the last time we were under 40 was 2010, every year since then has been 40 or above at the coldest temperature.

2018 Came close, but didn't go below 40.

A lot of places have been 11a if you only look at the past 11 years. :P

3 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

:greenthumb:

59 minutes ago, Jimbean said:

Why don't you do this, get yourself a thermometer and put it in an appropriate place on your property.  When we get a cold event, perhaps sometime next month, you can report back to us what the temperature was and when, where, and how you recorded it. 

I looked on Google maps and saw a larger pond within Golden Gate, and perhaps if you live in proximity of that pond then you might have a warmer micro-climate. 

I'm like everyone else here in that I highly doubt you have a zone 11A.  10A conservatively, 10B arguably, but 11A is more than a stretch. 

I’ve looked pretty hard before to see if there was somewhere that might be 11a, but it really didn’t look like it. If memory serves AMI, Sanibel/Captiva, and Marco Island we’re all roughly the same. Downtown Naples might have a slight edge, but probably still below the 11a threshold. I’m sure once you go further south into the Everglades it moves to z11, but it doesn’t really matter since it isn’t inhabitable.

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15 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

A lot of places have been 11a if you only look at the past 11 years. :P

:greenthumb:

I’ve looked pretty hard before to see if there was somewhere that might be 11a, but it really didn’t look like it. If memory serves AMI, Sanibel/Captiva, and Marco Island we’re all roughly the same. Downtown Naples might have a slight edge, but probably still below the 11a threshold. I’m sure once you go further south into the Everglades it moves to z11, but it doesn’t really matter since it isn’t inhabitable.

By my estimation you'd have to get down to Cape Sable on the immediate coast.  I've seen records of it getting in the mid-20's in the Everglades, pretty far south actually; it amazes me that royals are native there.

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Brevard County, Fl

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On 12/20/2021 at 3:37 PM, Jimbean said:

Why don't you do this, get yourself a thermometer and put it in an appropriate place on your property.  When we get a cold event, perhaps sometime next month, you can report back to us what the temperature was and when, where, and how you recorded it. 

I looked on Google maps and saw a larger pond within Golden Gate, and perhaps if you live in proximity of that pond then you might have a warmer micro-climate. 

I'm like everyone else here in that I highly doubt you have a zone 11A.  10A conservatively, 10B arguably, but 11A is more than a stretch. 

K, ill do that soon.

Well i guess we will see, it is true that i have been going off of weather measurements from the naples muni airport, so it might be a few degrees colder here, but ok.

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On 12/20/2021 at 4:43 PM, RedRabbit said:

A lot of places have been 11a if you only look at the past 11 years. :P

:greenthumb:

I’ve looked pretty hard before to see if there was somewhere that might be 11a, but it really didn’t look like it. If memory serves AMI, Sanibel/Captiva, and Marco Island we’re all roughly the same. Downtown Naples might have a slight edge, but probably still below the 11a threshold. I’m sure once you go further south into the Everglades it moves to z11, but it doesn’t really matter since it isn’t inhabitable.

WAIT, IM RETARDED?

I swear i looked through it and didnt see temps in the 30s since 2010 where i saw a 35.

DAMN ???

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/20/2021 at 4:43 PM, RedRabbit said:

A lot of places have been 11a if you only look at the past 11 years. :P

:greenthumb:

I’ve looked pretty hard before to see if there was somewhere that might be 11a, but it really didn’t look like it. If memory serves AMI, Sanibel/Captiva, and Marco Island we’re all roughly the same. Downtown Naples might have a slight edge, but probably still below the 11a threshold. I’m sure once you go further south into the Everglades it moves to z11, but it doesn’t really matter since it isn’t inhabitable.

South glades wouldn't be zone 11 either, and the station at the end of route 9336 went to 25 during the 1989 freeze. The rural areas between miami and SW florida are humid and cold, often foggy or near saturated at night, so with dry air, they drop fast. The glades doesn't seem to help as much as a large lake or miles of sea. The beginning of the keys might be colder than miami beach, which has been rated as zone 11 for a while now...and Key West would now, barely, rank as 12a going by recent decades: 

https://www.currentresults.com/Yearly-Weather/USA/FL/Key-West/extreme-annual-key-west-low-temperature.php 

Key West has only had one dip below 45 since 1989, in 2010 of course (42), so close to the all time record low (41, or 38?). Anyway it's had just enough low to mid 50s winters to balance the also common mid to upper 40s winters. 

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10 hours ago, Aceraceae said:

South glades wouldn't be zone 11 either, and the station at the end of route 9336 went to 25 during the 1989 freeze. The rural areas between miami and SW florida are humid and cold, often foggy or near saturated at night, so with dry air, they drop fast. The glades doesn't seem to help as much as a large lake or miles of sea. The beginning of the keys might be colder than miami beach, which has been rated as zone 11 for a while now...and Key West would now, barely, rank as 12a going by recent decades: 

https://www.currentresults.com/Yearly-Weather/USA/FL/Key-West/extreme-annual-key-west-low-temperature.php 

Key West has only had one dip below 45 since 1989, in 2010 of course (42), so close to the all time record low (41, or 38?). Anyway it's had just enough low to mid 50s winters to balance the also common mid to upper 40s winters. 

I'm thinking possibly coastal Cape Sable, whereas there is a body of water at the southwest tip of the peninsula that might insulate the temperature enough.  Also the mangrove islands between the Everglades and the Keys could also be warm enough. 

Brevard County, Fl

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On 12/20/2021 at 5:00 PM, Jimbean said:

By my estimation you'd have to get down to Cape Sable on the immediate coast.  I've seen records of it getting in the mid-20's in the Everglades, pretty far south actually; it amazes me that royals are native there.

I believe this is a result of the NW->SE direction of most fronts, and the lack of a substantial urban heat island. Fakahatachee strand is typically 5-10 degrees cooler than downtown Miami in fronts. The cold 1890s even killed off a small stand of royals in Everglades City. The insulated canopy and otherwise amazing growing conditions (wet, mucky fertile soil, no fire) are apparently enough to facilitate native populations. 

On 1/12/2022 at 7:51 AM, Jimbean said:

I'm thinking possibly coastal Cape Sable, whereas there is a body of water at the southwest tip of the peninsula that might insulate the temperature enough.  Also the mangrove islands between the Everglades and the Keys could also be warm enough. 

Flamingo near Cape Sable has a weather station and it is mid 10b. Cape Sable is probably 11a over the last decade or so but I imagine the occasional cold snaps do it in. The mangrove islands between Madeira Bay and Key Largo were 11a in 2012 and that has probably expanded further west to Rabbit Key by now. 

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  • 3 months later...
On 12/20/2021 at 4:43 PM, RedRabbit said:

A lot of places have been 11a if you only look at the past 11 years. :P

:greenthumb:

I’ve looked pretty hard before to see if there was somewhere that might be 11a, but it really didn’t look like it. If memory serves AMI, Sanibel/Captiva, and Marco Island we’re all roughly the same. Downtown Naples might have a slight edge, but probably still below the 11a threshold. I’m sure once you go further south into the Everglades it moves to z11, but it doesn’t really matter since it isn’t inhabitable.

Revisiting this, I’ve got a suspicion Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Useppa, and maybe Captiva are over or near the z11 threshold. The reason for this is a) they’re pretty far south so it’s harder for cold fronts to get there in the first place and b) there’s a lot of water to the northeast separating them from the mainland. This past winter they seemed to be on par with Miami Beach… Places like Sanibel don’t have the same degree of separation from the mainland so they’re less protected despite being further south. AMI does, and may have more, but it’s too far north so it’s more vulnerable to advective cold as we saw in 2018.

Thoughts?

Edited by RedRabbit

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2 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

Revisiting this, I’ve got a suspicion Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Useppa, and maybe Captiva are over or near the z11 threshold. The reason for this is a) they’re pretty far south so it’s harder for cold fronts to get there in the first place and b) there’s a lot of water to the northeast separating them from the mainland. This past winter they seemed to be on par with Miami Beach… Places like Sanibel don’t have the same degree of separation from the mainland so they’re less protected despite being further south. AMI does, and may have more, but it’s too far north so it’s more vulnerable to advective cold as we saw in 2018.

Thoughts?

I think you'd have to wait and see what happens in a major freezing event. 

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Brevard County, Fl

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3 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

Revisiting this, I’ve got a suspicion Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Useppa, and maybe Captiva are over or near the z11 threshold. The reason for this is a) they’re pretty far south so it’s harder for cold fronts to get there in the first place and b) there’s a lot of water to the northeast separating them from the mainland. This past winter they seemed to be on par with Miami Beach… Places like Sanibel don’t have the same degree of separation from the mainland so they’re less protected despite being further south. AMI does, and may have more, but it’s too far north so it’s more vulnerable to advective cold as we saw in 2018.

Thoughts?

Probably the only way to know for sure is to look at whatever data might be available for the various weather stations.  Out of all of the available stations on the barrier islands, KFLPINEL23 is going to provide you with the most accurate data since it is a Davis Vantage Pro 2 Plus. 

Since this is a January 2018 Freeze thread, here is a snapshot of the January 2018 freeze event for this station:

image.png.dbff1b047e82cb06e1c38b2d18066415.png

Stations worth investigating:

You can change the month and year to look for the data you want to see.

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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On 4/18/2022 at 8:14 PM, kinzyjr said:

Probably the only way to know for sure is to look at whatever data might be available for the various weather stations.  Out of all of the available stations on the barrier islands, KFLPINEL23 is going to provide you with the most accurate data since it is a Davis Vantage Pro 2 Plus. 

Since this is a January 2018 Freeze thread, here is a snapshot of the January 2018 freeze event for this station:

image.png.dbff1b047e82cb06e1c38b2d18066415.png

Stations worth investigating:

You can change the month and year to look for the data you want to see.

Thanks @kinzyjr! Unfortunately the history doesn’t go back far on these stations. I’ll keep an eye on them going forward and maybe we’ll get a definitive answer. If they’re really 11a we’re talking very low end I think. 

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1 minute ago, RedRabbit said:

Thanks @kinzyjr! Unfortunately the history doesn’t go back far on these stations. I’ll keep an eye on them going forward and maybe we’ll get a definitive answer. If they’re really 11a we’re talking very low end I think. 

Welcome.  Do you think there would be any validity to looking at how much of a deviation there is between this station and the records for the "known good" NWS stations in the area?

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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23 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

Welcome.  Do you think there would be any validity to looking at how much of a deviation there is between this station and the records for the "known good" NWS stations in the area?

That’s a good idea, but with just 2 freezes on record we don’t have much to compare these stations with NWS stations. 

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