2018 Florida Freeze

[RedRabbit]

8 hours ago, Alan_Tampa said:

name the brown frond pictured here : (space between posts is about 5 or 6 ft)

 

Foxtail?

Bet your D. leptochellos is looking rough now. Mine certainly is. 

[Alan_Tampa]

6 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

Foxtail?

Bet your D. leptochellos is looking rough now. Mine certainly is. 

No foxtail. Something less common

[Missi]

17 hours ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Somehow a quote is stuck here, but name the brown frond pictured here : (space between posts is about 5 or 6 ft)

 

12 hours ago, Xerarch said:

Oh I hate it when that happens, it happens when you either start typing something and change your mind and quit, or when something goes wrong when posting. Then every time you try to respond on that thread until the end of time that quote will come up no matter what and you have to delete it.  I’ve never been able to find a way around it. 

There should be a little square that pops up to the upper left of the quote box when you hover over the quote box. You should be able to click on the little square then press the Delete key. That SHOULD get rid of it.

[Alan_Tampa]

7 hours ago, Missi said:

 

There should be a little square that pops up to the upper left of the quote box when you hover over the quote box. You should be able to click on the little square then press the Delete key. That SHOULD get rid of it.

 That doesn' seem to work from my phone?

[Alan_Tampa]

16 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

Foxtail?

Bet your D. leptochellos is looking rough now. Mine certainly is. 

Yes, fried teddy bear! Like a bear flambe 

[Chatta]

51 minutes ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Yes, fried teddy bear! Like a bear flambe 

Yikes, I need to go check out the one in my neighborhood at my mom's friends house! I hope it did ok! There are a trio of royals near her house that got fried hard too, looks like they are coming back though. Saw some green from the new fronds

[Zeeth]

Went to Anna Maria yesterday. The coconuts there are undamaged despite the cool winter. Just shows how good the microclimate there is.

[Alan_Tampa]

Ruskin by the water like nothing happened. Mangos in bloom, all around town mangos wearing brown. 

[RedRabbit]

9 hours ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Ruskin by the water like nothing happened. Mangos in bloom, all around town mangos wearing brown. 

Yep, there's a substantial difference once you get south of Tampa Bay. I was in Bradenton last weekend and was impressed that their royals had no damage... It is kind of discouraging to see how much damage our area had relative to places like Ruskin and Bradenton.

[Matthew92]

I'm visiting the Orlando area right now. Areas just a little to the north (even south of Ocala) had burnt Bismarkia and even a few "singed" queens. Down, here mango trees completely brown (I realize now how many people have been planting them in the area cause they're easy to spot right now). Damaged foxtail, Christmas palms rubber plants as well. No damage to Araucaria heterophylla/cookii though- In recent years I've realized more that these do have a little hardiness.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Opal92

[Missi]

The low in my area this morning was supposed to be 45 but cloud cover kept us from dipping under 50. 

[Zeeth]

12 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

Yep, there's a substantial difference once you get south of Tampa Bay. I was in Bradenton last weekend and was impressed that their royals had no damage... It is kind of discouraging to see how much damage our area had relative to places like Ruskin and Bradenton.

Kinda makes sense why there are 100+ year old royal palms in Manatee county but not in the best microclimates of Hillsborough. 

[Matthew92]

Lows this morning in parts of Florida.

32 degrees at the weather station right near my house

[Estlander]

2 hours ago, Opal92 said:

32 degrees at the weather station right near my house

 

My thermometer measured a low of 40F last night. 

[Matthew92]

2 hours ago, Estlander said:

My thermometer measured a low of 40F last night. 

Lucky dog

[Estlander]

52 minutes ago, Opal92 said:

Lucky dog

That’s nothing. I see that just one or two miles away from me in Miramar Beach it was 47F :)

[Matthew92]

1 hour ago, Estlander said:

That’s nothing. I see that just one or two miles away from me in Miramar Beach it was 47F :)

Yeah, I'm not sure why such a wide spread with some of those stations, a few might be inaccurate.

[RedRabbit]

11 hours ago, Zeeth said:

Kinda makes sense why there are 100+ year old royal palms in Manatee county but not in the best microclimates of Hillsborough. 

Pretty much. It's too bad Bradenton can't be closer, it would be cool to live somewhere capable of supporting royals and other tropicals long-term. An hour commute to Tampa is way too far though. 

[Matthew92]

Such is life along the northern Gulf Coast. It got to 31 deg according to my weather station while I was gone on my trip about a week ago. And this morning was the second in a row it got to 36 degrees and heavy frost everywhere. Surprising, many plants that are leafed out are holding up pretty well. However, I have noticed some crepe myrtles with burnt leaves.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Opal92

[Estlander]

2 hours ago, Opal92 said:

And this morning was the second in a row it got to 36 degrees and heavy frost everywhere. 

45 degrees at my location as the low this morning. You should move to the beaches and away from the arctic FL, Opal  

[Matthew92]

30 minutes ago, Estlander said:

45 degrees at my location as the low this morning. You should move to the beaches and away from the arctic FL, Opal  

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stand the salt spray, worse effects from hurricanes, much poorer soil, less rain in the summer (the summer pop-up storms usually stay north of the coast), crowds of people, and rampant development. And in a winter like 2014, the microclimates didn't make that much of a difference out there. It would take a winter just a little colder than this one to severely damage or kill all the 9a stuff that scooted by at the beaches this year; again it happened just 4 years ago- and that winter wasn't even at the magnitude of harder freezes this area is prone to getting.

I mean, whatever floats your boat- If you are fine with all those things, then enjoy!

My ideal would be to find a microclimate further inland by a lake or something.

[Estlander]

1 hour ago, Opal92 said:

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stand the salt spray, worse effects from hurricanes, much poorer soil, less rain in the summer (the summer pop-up storms usually stay north of the coast), crowds of people, and rampant development. And in a winter like 2014, the microclimates didn't make that much of a difference out there. It would take a winter just a little colder than this one to severely damage or kill all the 9a stuff that scooted by at the beaches this year; again it happened just 4 years ago- and that winter wasn't even at the magnitude of harder freezes this area is prone to getting.

I mean, whatever floats your boat- If you are fine with all those things, then enjoy!

My ideal would be to find a microclimate further inland by a lake or something.

Yeah, i guess there are some drawbacks too. 

[Matthew92]

2 hours ago, Estlander said:

Yeah, i guess there are some drawbacks too. 

Sorry for sounding a little harsh, not all those factors are something you have to worry about all the time, and I think the area where you are is a little more out of the way of the crowded development, and farther away from the coast for that matter which is nice (in terms of avoiding more harsh conditions by wind and salt right by the open ocean).

[Estlander]

4 hours ago, Opal92 said:

Sorry for sounding a little harsh, not all those factors are something you have to worry about all the time, and I think the area where you are is a little more out of the way of the crowded development, and farther away from the coast for that matter which is nice (in terms of avoiding more harsh conditions by wind and salt right by the open ocean).

Oh no, I totally understood what you meant. Yes I’m not quite in the middle of all the hustle and bustle, which I love. 

[Missi]

The low this morning was COMPLETELY uncalled for! Starting Saturday we'll be back in lows of over 60s, but the following week we'll be back to lows in the mid-50s and upper 40s! 

[Matthew92]

Lows today in parts of Florida. I had ice on my car this morning.

 

Edited March 15, 2018 by Opal92

[Alan_Tampa]

7 hours ago, Missi said:

The low this morning was COMPLETELY uncalled for! Starting Saturday we'll be back in lows of over 60s, but the following week we'll be back to lows in the mid-50s and upper 40s! 

Yes, is garbage march, plus no kingfish yet. So double stink.  And had to bring in the baby tortoises!

[Estlander]

3 hours ago, Opal92 said:

Lows today in parts of Florida. I had ice on my car this morning.

 

 

Recorded a low of 40F in my yard.

Opal, notice how the beaches in Santa Rosa Beach eastward from about the west end of 30A always seem to get colder than Destin/Sandestin for some reason.

Not sure about the years past as I haven’t been paying attention to all that, but It’s a trend I’ve been noticing all winter this year. When Queens in Destin/Sandestin survived with minimum damage this winter, then the few ones they have planted in a nursery in Panama City Beach were either completely brown or 90% brown. 

Also, all the 5 &15 gallon Livistona Chinesis they had were all about 80% burned. Now granted they were in pots, but still.  

 

 

[Matthew92]

1 hour ago, Estlander said:

Recorded a low of 40F in my yard.

Opal, notice how the beaches in Santa Rosa Beach eastward from about the west end of 30A always seem to get colder than Destin/Sandestin for some reason.

Not sure about the years past as I haven’t been paying attention to all that, but It’s a trend I’ve been noticing all winter this year. When Queens in Destin/Sandestin survived with minimum damage this winter, then the few ones they have planted in a nursery in Panama City Beach were either completely brown or 90% brown. 

Also, all the 5 &15 gallon Livistona Chinesis they had were all about 80% burned. Now granted they were in pots, but still.  

 

 

I think somehow that part of the "peninsula" of Destin gets protection from the bay more. The farther East you go the less bay you have to the north for the air to moderate as it comes Southeast. Although then at the same time that seems conflicting because those queens in front of that lavish apt. complex near Topsail Preserve survived with only about 25% burn.

Also, interestingly, there is a queen palm in front of "The Track" in Destin that is 100% defoliated and maybe dead- interesting since that same tree survived January/February 2015 when the max lows were very similar to this year.

[kinzyjr]

8 hours ago, Missi said:

The low this morning was COMPLETELY uncalled for! Starting Saturday we'll be back in lows of over 60s, but the following week we'll be back to lows in the mid-50s and upper 40s! 

What did you bottom off at?  I had 45F, 45F, and 42F the last couple of mornings.  The forecast had a few high 30's, but I didn't get them here.  There were people coming in to work today talking about having ice on their windshields in the morning.  A few of us that live close to each other in Lakeland raised an eyebrow since we didn't have anything close to that.  I can't imagine there was that much of a difference temperature-wise between Lakeland and some of the more rural towns.  I checked my weather station thinking it was just off and needing re-calibrated or replaced.  A mercury thermometer that is 20 feet away in the shade read exactly the same temperature as my digital one.  I stopped at a gas station by Lakeside Village and thought I entered another world!  The wind made it feel 10 degrees colder and I decided against staying out that night.  We didn't have much wind in my neighborhood, and it was comfortable outside with a jogging suit.

I covered up my young coconuts, but it appears to have been unneeded at this point. 

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

 

I covered up my young coconuts, but it appears to have been unneeded at this point. 

Better to be safe than sorry.

This morning before dawn we had driven rain at about 58F.  Since two weeks ago my coconuts have been unprotected by tarps.  I will admit at 7am I did activate the heat lamps for three hours in order to dry off/heat the soil and raise the "nano" climate where each coconut dwells.

[Estlander]

2 hours ago, Opal92 said:

I think somehow that part of the "peninsula" of Destin gets protection from the bay more. The farther East you go the less bay you have to the north for the air to moderate as it comes Southeast. 

Yeah, that could be it. And areas near Destin bridge and all the way to Miramar Beach have probably been the warmest because they also have water to the West of them, not just South and North as is the case further East you go. 

But at the same time, interestingly enough, the 2012 USDA hardiness zone map says that Destin zip code 32541 and Miramar Beach 32550 are in zone 8B and Santa Rosa Beach 32459 and other coastal areas to the East of it as Zone 9A. 

But in the end, this winter at least, i guess it doesn’t matter that much as all coastal areas in the Northern Gulf Coast, including the Zone 9A areas to the East of Destin/Miramar Beach (8B) that were slightly colder this winter, had a Zone 9A winter and didn’t go below 20F.

I guess we’ll see more, which is which, in the winters to come. 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Estlander

[Estlander]

19 minutes ago, Estlander said:

 

But at the same time, interestingly enough, the 2012 USDA hardiness zone map says that Destin zip code 32541 and Miramar Beach 32550 are in zone 8B and Santa Rosa Beach 32459 and other coastal areas to the East of it as Zone 9A. 

 

 

And i wanted to add that even more interestingly enough, the coastal areas to the West of Destin, like Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach are also listed as Zone 9A. I can’t figure out why USDA put that small stretch of land(Destin) in zone 8B when it seems to the the best protected from cold and has been the warmest this winter at least. Weird

[Matthew92]

25 minutes ago, Estlander said:

And i wanted to add that even more interestingly enough, the coastal areas to the West of Destin, like Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach are also listed as Zone 9A. I can’t figure out why USDA put that small stretch of land(Destin) in zone 8B when it seems to the the best protected from cold and has been the warmest this winter at least. Weird

In the vicinity of the Commons the microclimate seems to be strong, but further west like near The Track maybe a littler colder (re: 100% defoliated queen mentioned in previous comment). I do remember in 2014 not all Washingtonias were 100% defoliated in the coastal areas (still, I don't think there were any that were less than 85%). However, I do remember that in the area right across from The Track in the condo parking lots right on the ocean there were a bunch 100% defoliated. I remember it was odd driving west when I was suddenly aware of how bad that particular area was.

[Missi]

16 hours ago, Alan_Tampa said:

Yes, is garbage march, plus no kingfish yet. So double stink.  And had to bring in the baby tortoises!

What's going on with the mackerels? I used to catch Spanish at the Naples pier non-stop. We have not seen them for several years.

14 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

What did you bottom off at?  I had 45F, 45F, and 42F the last couple of mornings.  The forecast had a few high 30's, but I didn't get them here.  There were people coming in to work today talking about having ice on their windshields in the morning.  A few of us that live close to each other in Lakeland raised an eyebrow since we didn't have anything close to that.  I can't imagine there was that much of a difference temperature-wise between Lakeland and some of the more rural towns.  I checked my weather station thinking it was just off and needing re-calibrated or replaced.  A mercury thermometer that is 20 feet away in the shade read exactly the same temperature as my digital one.  I stopped at a gas station by Lakeside Village and thought I entered another world!  The wind made it feel 10 degrees colder and I decided against staying out that night.  We didn't have much wind in my neighborhood, and it was comfortable outside with a jogging suit.

I covered up my young coconuts, but it appears to have been unneeded at this point. 

Didn't get an exact temp but Hubby had frost on his work truck's windshield and my lanai read 47 degrees even with a space heater running. 

[IHB1979]

I had 46 in my yard this morning, third consecutive night in the 40's for me. Seems much colder after our two weeks of night time lows around 70.

[Sandy Loam]

You just have to keep driving south.  This new cold event was not so bad in the south of Florida:

Key West, Florida, airport 

Yesterday’s low:  59  F

Today’s high: 72  F

Today’s low:  62  F

Yesterday’s high: 77 F

 

Miami, Florida. airport:

Yesterday’s low:  51 F

Yesterday’s high:   75  F

Today’s low: 55  F

Today’s high:  75  F

 

Of course, the lows are always warmer at Miami Beach, so add a few degrees for the east side of town.  The temperatures above were taken at the airport.

 

Marathon, Florida, airport:

Yesterday’s low:  57   F

Yesterday’s high:   73  F

Today’s low: 64  F

Today’s high:  78  F

 

Those temperatures won't damage any plants.  You won't see ice on your windscreen down there, Opal. 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Sandy Loam

[kinzyjr]

14 hours ago, Missi said:

Didn't get an exact temp but Hubby had frost on his work truck's windshield and my lanai read 47 degrees even with a space heater running. 

That's pretty incredible seeing that you are about 2.5 to 3 hours southwest of me. 

[Estlander]

On 3/15/2018, 7:52:40, Opal92 said:

Also, interestingly, there is a queen palm in front of "The Track" in Destin that is 100% defoliated and maybe dead- interesting since that same tree survived January/February 2015 when the max lows were very similar to this year.

Saw the Queen by the Track today. There's one frond that is half green, so hopefully it will make it. The interesting thing about that Queen there is that it's barely grown over the years. I've been keeping my eye on it these past few years and to me it seems the same year after year.

I came across another place in Destin a couple of days ago that has four Queens growing. They're by a canal on Lagoon Dr. and look pretty good, although heavily pruned again.

[Matthew92]

25 minutes ago, Estlander said:

Saw the Queen by the Track today. There's one frond that is half green, so hopefully it will make it. The interesting thing about that Queen there is that it's barely grown over the years. I've been keeping my eye on it these past few years and to me it seems the same year after year.

I came across another place in Destin a couple of days ago that has four Queens growing. They're by a canal on Lagoon Dr. and look pretty good, although heavily pruned again.

 

Wow, do you think those are post 2014?