Southern California

[elHoagie]

No wind in El Sereno last night, low just under 8C (45F) this morning...

Kim - My bottles keep getting more spots on the leaves as time goes by, but they still look ok.  Here's a picture from a couple weeks ago showing some brown tips, but you can't really see the spots on the leaves...

[happ]

Nice looking bottles Jack  

Recorded 47F this morning.

We should be in for some real cold next week if what the weather models are advertising comes true  

[gsn]

(happ @ Jan. 18 2008,13:47)

QUOTE

Nice looking bottles Jack  

Recorded 47F this morning.

We should be in for some real cold next week if what the weather models are advertising comes true  

Happ,

Okay I will bite.

Is there such a thing as a REALmeteorologist these days?

Or are they keyboard computer jockeys who type in info, and let the super computers give them the forecast? Do they major in weather,or computer science?

I say this half in jest ,but am somewhat serious. ::

By the way anyone ever heard of garbage in, garbage out? Any slight mistakes in info can mean drastic differences in the actual weather,not to mention that mother nature can, and does change her mind from time to time!

I know I pick on the weathermen ,sorry!

Good luck out there guys ,don't want a repeat of last year, that's for sure!

[gsn]

(happ @ Jan. 18 2008,13:47)

QUOTE

We should be in for some real cold next week if what the weather models are advertising comes true  

Happ,

Okay I will bite.

Is there such a thing as a REALmeteorologist these days?

Or are they keyboard computer jockeys who type in info, and let the super computers give them the forecast? Do they major in weather,or computer science?

I say this half in jest ,but am somewhat serious. ::

By the way anyone ever heard of garbage in, garbage out? Any slight mistakes in info can mean drastic differences in the actual weather,not to mention that mother nature can, and does change her mind from time to time!

I know I pick on the weathermen ,sorry!

Good luck out there guys ,don't want a repeat of last year, that's for sure!

[MattyB]

Real nice bottles Jack!  They look great.  I think we need a pictorial of the new place dude!  I see some stuff in the background.  Good location out by the street for the bottles too.....or is that car parked in your front yard?  El Soreno, ahhh no need to answer, the car is in the yard.

[PalmGuyWC]

I have found Hap's long range forcast very accurate. He predicted the fire storm last fall, or at least the conditions ripe for one, and he's been right on ever since, much better than these yo yo's who read the weather up here.

It's toastey in the sun in N. Calf today, warm in the sun, cold in the shade and not a cloud in the sky, or any breeze. Last night, I hit freezing and I expect the same tonight. There is some very cold air up here and it's headed South, and the forcast is for much colder early next week. Get out your smudge pots.

Check the temps on the east side of the Sierras......and it's chilly, and the mountains are deep with snow.  I just came across them on Tue. and there is snow everywhere and deep.

Dick

[osideterry]

(MattyB @ Jan. 18 2008,09:16)

QUOTE

By the way, my Lowes teddy bear palms are looking really bad.  2 are burnt all over but the spears look ok, which I expected, but one has a grey/green spear all they way down.  I hit them with a Fungicide drench this morning.  They're just so tender being Hawaii grown.  I remember several conversations with Phil Bergman where he was telling me about how plants brought in from Hawaii can be touchy sometimes, even if they're a species that can grow fine here there's a climactic shock that happens I guess.  Good thing I saved my receipt.

I am so glad mine isn't in the ground. My potted Teddy has experienced mid 30s (almost on average, sadly) with no ill effects at all. It's been in full sun over a week, and looks the same as the day I bought it.

By the way, the Oceanside Lowes still has three left... and they look like hell. They are up against metal grating, no real wall between them and outside. I'm sure they experienced 29-31F a number of times.

[Shon]

(elHoagie @ Jan. 18 2008,13:27)

QUOTE

No wind in El Sereno last night, low just under 8C (45F) this morning...

Kim - My bottles keep getting more spots on the leaves as time goes by, but they still look ok.  Here's a picture from a couple weeks ago showing some brown tips, but you can't really see the spots on the leaves...

Matty is right looks very good. Looks like you were busy with the garden as well as the greenhouse. How about some more pics.

[elHoagie]

Thanks for the comments guys, I'll try to get some photos of the new garden posted before too long. And Matty, the car's in the street...

[BS Man about Palms]

36F again this morn...wheres the f#%@ emoticon?

[Kim]

Your bottles look very good Jack, nice locaton you chose for your home, good going.  I expect mine will remain a potted specimen.

37.8 this morning, very clear.

[doubravsky]

36 here.... still just over 40 now at 8:15

[osideterry]

I moved my sensor from the north to the south side of my house when I moved all my potted palms. That sensor read 36F this morning. The birdbath on the north side is frozen 1/8" thick. Can water freeze above 32F, or does my yard vary that much?

[PalmGuyWC]

Terry,

Depending on altitude, water freezes at 32F (0 C).  Good thing your palms are on the south side. Still white frost here and the temp just crept above 32F. This is really a nasty winter. My P T V T is covered with frost.

Dick

[happ]

(osideterry @ Jan. 19 2008,11:39)

QUOTE

I moved my sensor from the north to the south side of my house when I moved all my potted palms. That sensor read 36F this morning. The birdbath on the north side is frozen 1/8" thick. Can water freeze above 32F, or does my yard vary that much?

That's amazing Terry!

47F/8.3c  

We need to brace ourselves for some cold Canadian air again   looks like the worst of it will be 15 degree below normal maximums.  Nights temps depend on cloud cover/higher humidity/rain/wind.  Again NWS predicts above freezing temps all areas of SoCal thru next week [but that's a broad brush that doesn't include colder micro-climates. Snow levels may really tumble early next week.

[Gonzer]

35º for me this morn for about 1/2 hour.

[BS Man about Palms]

Terry, The water had to be at 32F to freeze, but that does not mean the air was at 32F, just the water, or maybe more precisely, the bird bath was "removing" enough heat to get your water to 32F.  Just like hoods and roofs of cars will frost before plants do. At sea level, that surface has to be 32F to freeze the moisture.

[osideterry]

Another physics question though, with water cooling at a different rate than air. Still, frozen water anywhere in my yard equals not good!

[BS Man about Palms]

Funny, I see no worried posts of how cold it will get, I need to cover and/or bring my plants in, etc.  Yet, I was the coldest of the winter so far at 36.0F this morn. Has everybody just covered and waiting it out?

[happ]

There were many stations reporting below freezing temps this morning [mainly well-inland

Coastal clouds will surge on-shore tonight &, of-course, raise night temps  

It appears the Canadian low is pushing out to sea & pickup moisture/warm the air mass a bit.  Maximums should drop into the 50's though not as cold as originally thought.  No calls for a freeze [at least in SoCal but any night that happens to be clear/calm could be disastrous  

46F/7.7c

[osideterry]

I'm not worrying about how cold it will get until one of my online sources confirms it. weatherunderground has improved my forecast since I last checked. I'll bring a few pots in the garage overnight if needed.

My last years low was forecast to the degree 5 days in advance by weather.com.

[PalmGuyWC]

Happ..........what your saying is proving to be true.....Cloud cover here in N. Calif. and it's warming up. 50F here at 10 AM.......and warming.  Was 40's here last night. Warm for here.

Dick

[Gonzer]

BS, the only plants getting a wrap are my lettuce and parsley and one large Alcanteria.

[PalmGuyWC]

It is warmish in Walnut Creek, only 46.6F at 6 PM, but showers next 5 days with the possibility of snow, yes SNOW!!!!  I'd rather have the cloud cover and snow, than clear, cold and frost. If we get snow, it will be only be the 3rd time since 1973.......since I've been living here. I'm sure Mt. Diablo will be white.

Dick

[Jim in Los Altos]

Overall, despite lots of cool weather so far this winter, it's a whole lot better than last year. All my bananas are still green which, of course, means we havn't had any freezing temps in this part of the South Bay region. Plumerias are finally dropping their leaves but otherwise the garden looks as it did last fall.

Cool, rainy weather is nearing with snow on the higher peaks, maybe lower but there are still no freezing temperatures forecast through the end of January!

[Kim]

Sunday Jan. 20 early morning low was 38.8F, today, Monday Jan. 21 I had 48.9.  That is the difference between a clear night  and a cloudy night with drizzle.

I agree with Jim in Los Altos; although it's been cold, the lows have been well above the freezing temperatures I had last January.  The only protective action has been moving a potted bottle palm into the garage -- and I probably should have done it sooner -- but everything else -- bananas, palms, orchids, bromeliads -- looks just fine.

[osideterry]

I forgot to check the minimum, but it was 51F at 7:15am.

This is a strange 10 days ahead of us, with a 20-40% chance of rain almost every day.

My palms look fine, but the bananas are pretty gnarly. They'll look better trimmed and with new foliage this Spring. I have 3 bunches of fruit hanging and ripening right now.

[MattyB]

Sunday 1-20 was 42F

Monday 49F (actually it was 47 Sunday night when I went to bed but when I woke up in the morning it had warmed up due to cloud cover rolling in)

One thing I'm noticing this winter is the extra heat we get here inland during the day.  The coast didn't get out of the 50's yesterday.  While here inland we got to 65F.  In the sun it was actually warm.  But it was cold in the shade.

[BS Man about Palms]

Except for 2F colder, same as Kim for me....

[happ]

Minimum: 46F/7.7c

Maximum: 55F/12.7c - coldest day of winter  

[MattyB]

Wow, I was warmer than Happ yesterday.

48F this morning.  These cold days are tough on palms.  I haven't watered in several weeks to prevent rot.  Everything is still moist under the mulch.

[PalmGuyWC]

I guess today is a typical Northern Calif. winter day. It's grey and drizzley at times and the temp is 41F (5C). Yesterday was the same, a typical London day, I suppose. Thank goodness the cold artic low spilled out over the Pacific and moderated the temps. We expect the same for several days now.

Dick

[happ]

(MattyB @ Jan. 22 2008,12:00)

QUOTE

Wow, I was warmer than Happ yesterday.

48F this morning.  These cold days are tough on palms.  I haven't watered in several weeks to prevent rot.  Everything is still moist under the mulch.

Matty,

The warmest minimum temps are often nearest the coast [ie San Diego bay/Newport Beach, Santa Monica etc].  The foothills are consistently the warmest during offshore events or during clear but cold nights.

Speaking of cold    this week will stay quite chilly even if night temps don’t drop below 40F/4.4c  The cold upper low pressure system is spinning out in the Pacific & should eventually move onshore with possibly heavy showers/thunderstorms/hail later this week.  The medium-range forecast looks unsettled into next week with likely cold days/50's and chilly nights/40’s.  

Lo: 46F/7.7c

[MattyB]

43.5 this morning on my coldest sensor.  A lot of my plants are starting to show the long term exposure to cool/cold weather.  We got a few more months to go still before it warms up.

[osideterry]

40F at my place. There are colder spots in my yard, but I'm most concerned with what my containered palms are experiencing. That's where I'm measuring. My recent greenhouse purchases look the funkiest, and some leaf spotting here and there on others. Looking forward to getting them in the ground this Spring.

[elHoagie]

At 5AM we had lightning and hail, and the temperature immediately dropped to 4.5C (40F).  My previous low for the winter was just under 6C (43F)....

[MattyB]

Ewwwww!  Hope the hail didn't do too much damage Jack.

44F this morning, drizzly w/ a rainbow over downtown.

[happ]

Hey Jack

Being just a few miles from you I also observed some turbulence weather overnight.  Quite heavy downpour in a thunderstorm shred banana & heliconia leaves.  Wind blew over some potted fruit trees but not much damage.  

It’s the cold temperatures that are beginning to affect the palms with brown spots and yellowing on many tender trees [i will take a closer inventory later this week  My real worry is the wet cold soil that will undoubtedly cause damage to palm trees  

Also experienced my coldest minimum of winter this morning at 42F/ [even with high humidity & clouds.  Today will stay cold with scattered showers.  This weekend looks like the “main event” when the storm system that has been spinning off the coast will pull in subtropical moisture.  Temps should rise a bit and rainfall could become quite heavy w/ likely mud slides in the burn areas  

[Kim]

Low for the 2 nights 23rd & 24th was 43.8F.  7/10ths of an inch of rain Thursday overnight.  Around 6:00 pm yesterday it was coming down hard and steady, with gusty winds, but thankfully no hail!  Not much rain today at all, just a few drops.  

I am so ready for winter to be over.  Feeling like John Hiatt's Wintertime Blues:

I've been too long with my nose in a book

I hope you sing just as good as you look

Come on over baby, I got a song for you

A little jump of something I call

The wintertime blues

I wanna hear those mockingbird wings

I want gravy on everything

Lovin' in the kitchen

What have we got to lose

Just a nasty case of

These ol' wintertime blues

Cold as snot with a big frozen smile

Ain't foolin' nobody after a while

Time to let the cat out

I've got a real short fuse

I'm just about to blow up

These ol' wintertime blues

There's no spring

There was never any spring

Spring's a long gone thing

There won't ever be a spring no more

At least that's the way it feels when your

Skin is cracked and peeled

And you've been livin' under

Sixty pounds of blanket

And the snow's drifting up to your window

And you're out of firewood

And the wolf is howling at your door

Three hours of day light

And all of them gray

The suicide prevention group has all run away

I'm running out of groceries

I ain't got no rubber shoes

Bring the bacon baby

I got the wintertime blues

I could cut a hole in the floor

Catch you a fish by a quarter to four

But I'm stuck up this mountain

Where I got a bird's eye view

Of couple more months of these

Ol' wintertime blues

And it's a one, two

My lips are turning blue

Come on over baby

What have we got to lose

Just a nasty case of

These ol' wintertime blues

And it's three, four

I'm stiff as Al Gore

Come on over baby

What have we got to lose

Just a nasty case of these ol'

Wintertime blues

Well, it's the same old drill

For Punxsutawney Phil

If he sees his own shadow

I'm shootin' to kill

Come on over baby

I stand accused

There's a man going crazy up here

With the wintertime blues

[jenks]

Pretty windy here in Laguna Niguel. I just saw a bulletin on tv warning of possible TORNADO'S in LA. That is the first time in my life I have seen a tornado warning in socal.

Happ - whatcha got?