Hurricane Ian on Pine Island

[dwfl]

Alot of damage to the palm farms out here on the island. Some palm species are definitely much more hurricane resistant than others. This storm was a good test with 155mph winds and stronger gusts. I've heard from various sources that peak sustsined winds were actually stronger than 155mph and it may be classified Cat 5 (157+mph) eventually like they did with Andrew and Michael.

At my farm I lost 5 coconut palms, all 20-30ft tall. They did not uproot, they snapped above their large base. Smaller coconut palms made it through and the largest (40+ft) made it through. 

-Dypsis carlsmithii look like nothing ever happened except a few broken fronds. They're so low and stout it would probably take a strong tornado to kill them. Not sure how larger specimens would fare.

-Dypsis leptocheilos made it, almost every frond is broken.

-2 Dypsis leptocheilos x decaryi (tri-bears) made it, fronds are broken and they're leaning a little.

-10ft tall Attalea made it, looks good

-Carpoxylons, 1 knocked over and dead and 1 made it through but is leaning

-Cyphophoenix elegans, 1 uprooted and died, 3 standing straight and look fine

-Dypsis lanceolata, made it through with only wind burned fronds

-Dypsis pembana, made it through with some wind burned fronds

-Chambeyronia macrocarpa, largest one is standing straight with broken fronds and smaller ones look fine. Chambeyronia hookeri leaning but made it though fine.

-Variegated fishtail, snapped in half, remaining suckers are ratty and wind burned but should make it through.

-Christmas palms look fine. 

-Kentipopsis oliviformis, leaning but made it through fine otherwise.

-All the native palms here took the storm like a champ, they pretty much look like nothing ever happened.

I've uploaded some video of the storm to YouTube and you can see some of the above palm species in the video: 

 

 

[PalmatierMeg]

Thanks for the update. I will keep the carlsmithii in mind.

As for here in Cape Coral, I lost 3 of 4 Attaleas, nearly all my pembanas & Archo cunninghamianas, 2/3 of our Bizzies, 1/2 our Chambeyronias, both normal Elaeis guineensis (the mutant oil seems to have survived), one very large Veitchia joannis.

Our Carpoxylon did well, as did all Archos but piccabeens, the Hyophorbes, blue & red Latans, both Kentiopsis oliviformis. Sabals & Coccothrinax did spectacularly with only frond damage. Royals defoliated but are otherwise fine.

Like you, I suspect Ian was a bonafide cat.5. We spent many hours in Ian’s eyewall. Just before landfall the southwest eyewall recorded wind gusts of 179 mph. 

[kinzyjr]

@dwfl Thank you for sharing your experience, as awful as it was.

[sonoranfans]

clearly some of those were protected by others as I had (2) pembanas that were snapped at the trunk at much lower wind speeds.

[Dunedin Steve]

Pretty amazing footage -- Getting hit by rain and misc "stuff" at over 130 MPH  -- For HOURS.   Tough to watch; sincere sympathy from your nbors just to the north.  Best of luck replanting..

[dwfl]

On 11/17/2022 at 12:26 PM, sonoranfans said:

clearly some of those were protected by others as I had (2) pembanas that were snapped at the trunk at much lower wind speeds.

You're right, both my pembanas are protected by a circle of bananas..  I should have noted that. And after your post I checked on them again and noticed one of the clumps is leaning. If they were exposed I'm not sure they would be standing.