What was your lowest temperature this winter?

[beliz1985]

Extremely abnormal. Only —7°C this year and for very short time. One night only. From hardiness zone 5 to 8b or 9a.

[GottmitAlex]

Ok. 6C/42.8F 2/5/2020 @ 12:30 AM PST.

 

[GottmitAlex]

We bottomed out at 3.3C/38F.

Officially our lowest for this winter.

[SailorBold]

New low.. 15.8f. So 16ish.  Still not too bad..but lots of colder temperatures surrounding the city. Go urban heat island go!

Dare I say winter is not over?? 

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, SailorBold said:

New low.. 15.8f. So 16ish.  Still not too bad..but lots of colder temperatures surrounding the city. Go urban heat island go!

Dare I say winter is not over?? 

Take a look in the " Current Temp" thread. Posted a snapshot of 6AM temps around ABQ this morning.

[GottmitAlex]

12 minutes ago, SailorBold said:

New low.. 15.8f. So 16ish.  Still not too bad..but lots of colder temperatures surrounding the city. Go urban heat island go!

Dare I say winter is not over?? 

Hear, hear! I honestly thought it was over. 

It ain't over 'till it's over. 

 

[mdsonofthesouth]

15 hours ago, SailorBold said:

New low.. 15.8f. So 16ish.  Still not too bad..but lots of colder temperatures surrounding the city. Go urban heat island go!

Dare I say winter is not over?? 

 

Yeah that's why I am worried about February... While January is our coldest month, with it being decently mild with average lows and highs mostly, February can still easily surprise us and heck even early March can too. Still hoping for a break for the rest of winter after the last 10 years being so bitter cold.

[Silas_Sancona]

51F at 11AM. Slow but steady march upwards after bottoming out at 32F this morning. Most spots around the East Valley and Chandler running a few degrees ahead of this time yesterday.

Most areas should top 60F this afternoon.. close to 70 tomorrow, mid 70s, maybe higher, over the weekend. Forecast next week is still suggesting some rain early but not looking near as cold this time around. For now, W.U. forecast for the area has actually trended warmer since last night. lows also look to stay in the 38-44F range next week also.

[oasis371]

+16.0 F. in my yard was the minimum so far here in Metro NJ/NYC (Zone 7a)

[Jeffnparrishfl]

So far 37 degrees. Hopefully nothing colder this winter. Hoping to get through 2 straight winters without a freeze for my royals Christmas and foxtail palms 

[NorCalKing]

On 2/4/2020 at 6:07 PM, sipalms said:

Congratulations on the UK having 10b, 10a and even 9b climatic zones! What a great achievement. It will be amazing to visit in a few years time. It'll feel like south Florida no doubt.

Too much sarcasm for me.

Wouldn't it be more balanced to talk about the fact that most of southern UK struggles to get double digit highs and terrible sun stats for most of winter, let alone the rest of the year??

I hate digging into this fight all over again but frankly this spouting on and on about UK's amazing climate is just plain laughable.

Is it some kind of small man syndrome, where you're trying to catch up to the big boys Australia/California / Southern USA/ Northern NZ / Mediterranean, or did it not occur to you that if your climate is changing this fast from a temperate oceanic to hot / semi arid / desert / mediterranean / humid subtropical (all terms you've used), that everyone else's climate is as well, to the same degree? Or is there some kind of hole sitting above the UK that has caused it to suddenly receive a giant mass of heat that no one else gets?

By the way, am I correct in thinking that some of the islands off Scotland have zone 10 climates as well? Why do palms not grow that great there?

The USDA climate zone, as the name suggests, is really only useful for continental USA (or other continental climates like Australia). There's dozens of 10a or 10b places around NZ near water but that doesn't mean a thing for trying to grow a coconut. We all know that applying the USDA zones to places surrounded by water is slightly inaccurate. If it was accurate then heck, I'd plant our entire beachfront out with zone 10 palms with my own cash and buy a condo on the beach just to enjoy the view. Stupid investment right?

We ask you for photos of large established Queens (as you so frequently mention 'thrive' in the UK). We get a pile of photos of non-trunking seedlings that look like they're strategically placed under eaves, and no one knows their age or if they're alive and thriving or dead now.

We get posts of dozens of phoenix canariensis which don't show anything that we don't already know, that they will grow as long as temps don't drop to nearly -10C. Same with washingtonia. 

We get posts of dry grass in a field, and a small forest fire, and some accumulated dust on a pavement corner, and get told that your climate is now semi-arid desert or something.

We get posts of photos of your home thermometer showing amazing heat stats. Everyone on here knows that while home thermometers are useful, they're no substitute for official recording devices.

What we don't get is any kind of balanced reality.  The reality is that the UK, may record some hot temperatures, it may record some warm winters (or even warm winters several times in a row), and it may have some places that don't freeze. But it is generally (let's talk actual factual averages here) a cool climate. Nothing like Southern California or Australia or Greece which are warm to hot climates.

Do you really, honestly believe that in a period of less than 10 years, the UK is now suddenly a prime spot for growing heat loving, cold hating palms like Syagrus and Archontophoenix? Has it somehow magically slipped down the globe 15 degrees of latitude?

Or is there a small, yes maybe a very teeny weeny pathetically small chance, that it's possible that a serious freeze that has occurred before, could occur again? And would they just grow so slowly over the dark damp winters to make them a satisfying investment/addition to anyone's garden?

I don't like talking down to people. I'm all for positivity and zone pushing. I'm not talking down to you from a me v you climate perspective anyway, because I'm from a very similar climate to you. But we don't need continue, cringeworthy spouting of absurd climatic achievements that are not helpful to actual growers. 

What if we took all your climate claims and made a giant advertising poster, and stuck it in the landscape section of every garden centre in London and southern UK, beneath a massive rack of 9a, 9b and 10+ palms. They'd sell out, right? Would your claims be fair and just to the poor buyers of all the queens and bangalows and every other type of sensitive palm who finds it dies after a one off freeze, or pushes out 1 or two fronds every season?

 

I know I've ignited a huge bonfire here. But going by some of the DM's I've received from other users cringing at these claims I don't think I'm alone in the above sentiments. Go ahead and attack me or ban me if you want. Send me abusive messages if you want...I don't care. We're just wanting reality and constructive discussion not nonstop climate selling garble that is likely a long distance from reality.

If you ask me right now what the number one proof of your claims would be, it would be to plant out your entire garden with unprotected zone 9a, 9b and 10a palms and send us a picture once done. I'll help you pick the species if you want. Then progress update on here quarterly. I genuinely would love to spend the next 10 years observing what happens. Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong?

Wow! Nailed it on SO many levels I don't know where to begin I use to try to have calm, intelligent, discussions with him regarding climate, but it's actually gotten laughable. I'm in 9B (same as UK Palms apparently) and I have 25 ft tall Washington Navel Orange trees in may yard, as well as Mexican Limes, and Avocados, I'm waiting to see his sub-tropical fruits? Oh, and I have a few 15 ft tall Archontophoenix which were planted as seedlings 4 years ago. Not to mention an 8 ft wide Agave Americana, Split Leaf philodron, fruiting bananas inground. We are both 9b, right? 

Edited February 8, 2020 by NorCalKing

[kinzyjr]

20 hours ago, Jeffnparrishfl said:

So far 37 degrees. Hopefully nothing colder this winter. Hoping to get through 2 straight winters without a freeze for my royals Christmas and foxtail palms 

And a warm welcome to the Forums as well!

[Jubaea_James760]

This past cold front in the west a few days ago brought in my lowest temperatures for winter thus far (hopefully for good) bottoming out @ 22F/-5.5C both days in a row. 

On a side note, I realized I have a nice "microclimate" on the west side of my yard! Temps were 25F/-3.8 both of those days & it always has the highest night time lows of all my sensors around my yard! 

[The7thLegend]

So far it's looking like 31 is my low this winter.   10 day looks good but you never know if a surprise awaits.

[UK_Palms]

6 hours ago, NorCalKing said:

Wow! Nailed it on SO many levels I don't know where to begin I use to try to have calm, intelligent, discussions with him regarding climate, but it's actually gotten laughable. I'm in 9B (same as UK Palms apparently) and I have 25 ft tall Washington Navel Orange trees in may yard, as well as Mexican Limes, and Avocados, I'm waiting to see his sub-tropical fruits? Oh, and I have a few 15 ft tall Archontophoenix which were planted as seedlings 4 years ago. Not to mention an 8 ft wide Agave Americana, Split Leaf philodron, fruiting bananas inground. We are both 9b, right? 

I tried to settle this with Sipalms, but now you're just trying to start an argument dude. I clearly state that I am 9a in my signature at the bottom of my posts, but this year so far I just happen to be 9b. The lowest I have seen is 26F. But again, I reiterate that I am a 9a zone, which is clearly stated in my signature, as my lowest is typically around 22F. I have never said that I am a consistent 9b zone. That just happens to be the case this year, so far. 

Anyway, the last time I checked, the USDA hardiness zone ratings are based on the actual lowest temperature, not what species can grow in a particular area. Clearly you can grow much more than me (I'm not disputing that) as you are a solid 9b and I am a 9a zone. Plus I am at a far higher latitude, 51N, and get far less sunlight in winter, which plays a big part. I have pretty much identical stats to Victoria city at 48N, which falls under zone 9a and is classified as a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. And they also can't grow all that stuff that you can at 35N. But you'll still accept that Victoria, BC is a 9a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (but then refuse to accept that I am BORDERING between temperate/oceanic and warm-summer Med).

In which case your post about what you can grow in a 9b zone at 35N is irrelevant, when comparing it to 9a climate zones at 48-51N. Obviously there is going to be a difference due to the longer nights in winter and lower sunlight intensity at those latitudes. We'll spend longer below freezing due to the longer nights and the daytime warmup won't be as great due to the shorter days and lower sunlight intensity. You clearly can't compare a 9b zone at 35N with a 9a zone at 51N. Besides, I'm not even disputing what you can and can't grow in a 9b climate at 35N.

Then again, I have also been told on here that I am not even allowed to use the USDA zone rating. It seems people from the other side of the world want to tell me what zone I am, what climate I have, what hardiness ratings I can and can't use, and even tell me what palms I can and can't grow here. As if I'm not already recording my own climatic stats, or growing my own palms here... 

[Jubaea]

One thermometer hit 30F and the other hit 32F.  There was no frost damage on any plants.  If it does not get any colder this would be the first year with no damage on any palms.  Usually A. Alexandria or H. forsteriana show some burn. I have always thought of the climate here as being a warm 9B to cold 10A but it has been 10A the last 3 years and the mango tree and pineapple plant that were planted 3-4 years ago are not yet dead.  The bananas in the neighborhood are still green which is not the norm.  There has however been quite a bit of chill hours into the 30's and low 40's but only 2-3 brief dips below freezing.

[JLeVert]

Lowest at my house in Augusta, GA has been 28F. Pretty good for zone 8!

[AZPalms]

My backyard station said 31, official says 32. So... but about 4 weeks of upper 30’s and 40s. Only one palm loss it appears, my African Oil Palm. She looks pretty sad and spear pulled. Other than that, zero damage to palms and tropicals. Even bananas look pretty happy. I could be calling it early but winter is over here in the Valley of the Sun. 

Edited February 24, 2020 by AZPalms

[kbob11]

Coldest was 5f last weekend, but not much wind.  My covered palms got down to 24f, Zone 6a MA.

[Chester B]

26f seems to be about it for this year.  Pretty much the same the previous two winters, but much more frost this year than the last two.

[oasis371]

14 F was my lowest in northeasternmost NJ/Zone 7a. We had a ridiculously warm weekend in January when we were outside in shorts and had a barbecue at near 70 F on the deck.

 

[GeorgiaPalms]

According to my weather station at my house, the lowest temp this winter was 21 degrees F in North Georgia.

Edited March 29, 2020 by GeorgiaPalms

[mdsonofthesouth]

Well it's are now safe to say that my lowest temp was still 20.2F. We had normal lows and highs compared to averages just didn't dip low thankfully. Now if we can just get out of the fungus period and get some consistent heat I'll be worry free. 

Edited March 29, 2020 by mdsonofthesouth

[JLeVert]

My low was 28F in November and then 30F in February.  Everything in between was pretty mild.  Augusta, GA

[Steve in Florida]

The low was 28F which occurred twice in January.

[Bill H2DB]

  My Winter 2019-2020 low Temperature  was 36.3 .   That's at a location on the mainland, near the ICW ( aka Halifax River ), with oak canopy

in the neighborhood .

 The official Daytona Beach reporting station is at the DAB airport , and is representative of the area west of SR5A ( Nova Rd. ) , or even Clyde Morris Blvd, but

most areas east of that DAB location are warmer at night .      Most of the newer subdivisions will  have temps. similar to DAB however .      Similar is the key word .

As those subdivs. mature , some canopy will develop,  and temps will moderate .  They generally are Piney woods that have been scraped clean , and for a few years will

have radiational Temp. loss .           Advective freezes , ...well that's entirely different .

   

This is the highest Winter low Temp.  that I've ever seen in the Daytona Beach area , and I have been here since 1952 .  There was some rooftop frost visible in the early predawn hrs. 

at least twice this year though .