Florida Freeze Watch - December 2020

[NickJames]

30 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I downloaded the data files from my Acurite after I switching it to USB mode 3. 32F for 3 hours, then 29F for 1.5 hours and then 28F for 1.75 hours, then a sharp jump to 33F over about 10 minutes at 5AM.  I had a medium coat of frost that dissipated by about 9AM.

Wow! I’m genuinely surprised you got colder than me. 

[RedRabbit]

3 hours ago, NickJames said:

Wow! I’m genuinely surprised you got colder than me. 

If you stay above 30.0f tonight you’re going to lock in a 10a year. 

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, NickJames said:

Wow! I’m genuinely surprised you got colder than me. 

Yeah, this view from an earlier post looks about right.  Sanford airport and East of I4 is typically 4 degrees warmer than West of I4.  So last night was officially the coldest night here since I started seriously building my tropical garden.  It may take a few days to see anything on most of it.  

The stuff that took obvious damage was: Allagoptera Caudescens (solid leaf with no canopy = frost spotting and burn; solid leaf with Butia & Alfredii canopy = no damage, pinnate 8' diameter with no canopy = ok), Arenga Pinnata some leaf curling and light bronzing, Zamia Furfuracea severe bronzing if exposed to frost, otherwise ok; Cannas and Heliconias burnt to a crisp, Oysters burnt if exposed to frost, otherwise ok; Cavendish type bananas all torched; Caryota Gigas 2' tall light bronzing; Ficus Elastica (rubber tree) and Benghalensis significant burn, but Lyrata mostly ok; big Flamethrower mostly burned brown from frost exposure, another smaller one semi-exposed and seems fine; Attalea Cohune x2 slight bronzing; Licuala v. Sumawongii small in ground ok, Licuala Grandis 4' tall in pot ok, Bambusa Lako x2 lots of burned leaves; Cocos yellow lots of bronzing but green one 6' away no obvious damage; lots of light bronzing on Bottle/Spindle palms all around the yard.

Stuff that surprised me with how good they look now, basically no visible damage: Bambusa Vulgaris Wamin "Buddha Belly"; Dictyosperma Album/Rubrum; Ptychosperma Macarthurii; Dypsis Pembana; Encephalartos Kisambo, Laurentianus, Whitelockii & Ituriensis; Sea grapes x4; Corypha (unknown type); Elaeis Guineensis; 4' and 12' tall Caryota Mitis.  The ones that really shocked me were about 25 Gaussia Princeps scattered around, mostly about 1 foot tall and pinnate but still tiny.  Zero apparent damage on any of them, even in high frost areas!

[RedRabbit]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Yeah, this view from an earlier post looks about right.  Sanford airport and East of I4 is typically 4 degrees warmer than West of I4.  So last night was officially the coldest night here since I started seriously building my tropical garden.  It may take a few days to see anything on most of it.  

The stuff that took obvious damage was: Allagoptera Caudescens (solid leaf with no canopy = frost spotting and burn; solid leaf with Butia & Alfredii canopy = no damage, pinnate 8' diameter with no canopy = ok), Arenga Pinnata some leaf curling and light bronzing, Zamia Furfuracea severe bronzing if exposed to frost, otherwise ok; Cannas and Heliconias burnt to a crisp, Oysters burnt if exposed to frost, otherwise ok; Cavendish type bananas all torched; Caryota Gigas 2' tall light bronzing; Ficus Elastica (rubber tree) and Benghalensis significant burn, but Lyrata mostly ok; big Flamethrower mostly burned brown from frost exposure, another smaller one semi-exposed and seems fine; Attalea Cohune x2 slight bronzing; Licuala v. Sumawongii small in ground ok, Licuala Grandis 4' tall in pot ok, Bambusa Lako x2 lots of burned leaves; Cocos yellow lots of bronzing but green one 6' away no obvious damage; lots of light bronzing on Bottle/Spindle palms all around the yard.

Stuff that surprised me with how good they look now, basically no visible damage: Bambusa Vulgaris Wamin "Buddha Belly"; Dictyosperma Album/Rubrum; Ptychosperma Macarthurii; Dypsis Pembana; Encephalartos Kisambo, Laurentianus, Whitelockii & Ituriensis; Sea grapes x4; Corypha (unknown type); Elaeis Guineensis; 4' and 12' tall Caryota Mitis.  The ones that really shocked me were about 25 Gaussia Princeps scattered around, mostly about 1 foot tall and pinnate but still tiny.  Zero apparent damage on any of them, even in high frost areas!

It sounds like you’ve got a pretty nice garden there. I’m glad to hear you didn’t have more damage. 28f burned my D pembana pretty bad in 2018.

[NickJames]

Well I’m scared. LOL. 

[NickJames]

As usual, I’m far below projection for the “second night” after staying above projection for the first night.

The adonidia and bottle palms in my neighborhood are burned from last night. With a very heavy frost expected tonight, they probably won’t make next week.

my street is the only one taking protective measures At my urging. 

[NickJames]

So far, my only victims of last night are these elephant ears. 

[RedRabbit]

14 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Well I’m scared. LOL. 

It’s only 37 here. It shouldn’t be this cold yet, at this rate many of us could be in the 20s tomorrow morning. 

[NOT A TA]

10 minutes ago, NickJames said:

As usual, I’m far below projection for the “second night” after staying above projection for the first night.

The adonidia and bottle palms in my neighborhood are burned from last night. With a very heavy frost expected tonight, they probably won’t make next week.

my street is the only one taking protective measures At my urging. 

Looks like another cold night for you. We've rebounded here, mid 50's now and was low 60's daytime. Nicer than yesterday and tomorrow it's supposed to be mid 70's.

[NickJames]

I knew this was going to happen because it simply did not get warm here today. 

Just tarped my neighbors’ d. Lutescens (yes they copied me lol)

[Walt]

My local forecast for tomorrow morning's low is supposed to be 3 degrees warmer than this morning's low. However, tonight's temperature at 9 p.m. is running more than 1 degree colder than the same time last night. Of course, that doesn't mean that difference will hold all the way until the sun comes up tomorrow, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

The STEM weather station at Lake Placid Elementary School had a low of 39 this morning. I went out side at sun up using one of my wife's digital cooking thermometers and recorded 32.7 degree F air temperature. I even saw a thin sheet of ice on one of our smaller bird baths. No frost on ground but some on roof. Again, on radiational cooling nights (like last nght) the town of Lake Placid invariably runs 7-8 degrees warmer than at my place due to the town's relatively much higher elevation. Unless there's some significant wind tomorrow morning, I all but know there will again be a 7-8 degree low temperature spread from up in town and my place due to air stratification.

[chad2468emr]

35 minutes ago, NickJames said:

The adonidia and bottle palms in my neighborhood are burned from last night. With a very heavy frost expected tonight, they probably won’t make next week.

I got back to town after visiting SFL tonight, and it was already dark out. I’m eager to do a little tour around town tomorrow and see how other palms have fared. There are three coconut palms planted on a S facing wall of some store (I don’t even know what store it is haha) on Bronson in Kissimmee and I’m eager to know how they’ve made it alright. I’m only about 3 miles from there, but I’ve no doubt if I left mine outside it’d be toast since I’m so far from any sort of supplemental heat. 

[Walt]

12 hours ago, NickJames said:

Thanks. The lights that you see turned off in the photo are LED. I do have a heating cable that was on my bottle palm. Very good info. I thought about getting the forced air heater as I could simply fill it with diesel at the service station (the model my Lowe’s sells can do diesel/kerosene/etc.)

I will continue to do more and more protection methods  

I wouldn't bother with forced air heaters unless you can get many of them. Just one 30K BTU kerosene heater isn't enough. One year I constructed a tarp wall about 10 feet high (on the north side) to make a semi circle around my coconut palm. Then I placed the forced air heater on the opposite side of the heater. I figured the tarp would deflect any warm air back to the palm, and also block any air blowing from the north. Didn't work so hot because the forced air fans just aren't that powerful in velocity and CFM volume. Also, only #1 kerosene should be used in a force air heater. I couldn't find it in my area and had to resort to diesel fuel, and it didn't burn well.

[ruskinPalms]

Heading for mid 30s here tonight. I expect plenty of frost. Goodbye heliconias haha 

[NickJames]

Just now from NWS Melbourne on the Volusia frost advisory:

A few things to watch will be developing (light) onshore
flow late tonight, gradually increasing moisture from the southeast
toward the northwest, and encroaching Cirrus from the west. All of
these factors could be a saving grace from colder temperatures and
"level-off" numbers late this evening and overnight. In fact after
bottoming out, some locations could actually rise back up a few
degrees.

EDIT: meant the forecaster’s discussion not frost advisory 

[JJPalmer]

Officially in the 30’s at my place just N of DT St. Pete at 39.5°.  I’d say I’m in a pretty solid microclimate, so I’m a bit surprised.. Coldest temps of the winter. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by JJPalmer

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Just dipped in to the upper 30s in Belle Isle. Last night bottomed at 37F which I thought would be lower. I sit on the SE side of the lake so I get some help in radiational events. There is that plume of low level clouds approaching FL from the W to SW. May help level off the lows. 

Didn't see any damage but Dec has been very chilly. The lower fronds on my coconut are yellowing. Soil temp in the yard at 4" today was 60F. That is often the threshold for coconuts I watch. Get through tonight and looks like an OK warming trend next week. 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

I usually use C9 lights on my coconut and leave them up thru January just in case. I went with mini lights this year but they give off some heat too. 

[ruskinPalms]

41F here now. Still expecting mid 30s and frost tonight. I’m seeing lots of 30s already all over the place around me. Very random and not necessarily what you’d think given proximity to the bay and gulf. Shelter the breeze and open up the sky on a dry, clear night and it will get cold. 

[chad2468emr]

29 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Officially in the 30’s at my place just N of DT St. Pete at 39.5°. Coldest temps of the winter. 

I THOUGHT it was just now dipping into the thirties for me according to the weather channel but wunderground is showing weather stations ranging between 33-37 for most of my area. I live on poinciana within the red circle. The forecasted low according to wunderground is showing a forecasted low of 38, so it doesn’t make me feel too good that we’re already well below that and it’s not even 11:00pm....

Meanwhile, I just took the opportunity of having so many of my smaller, more moisture-and-warmth-loving palms indoors to give them a little spa treatment. My short-term indoor residents, a cluster of four vestiaria seedlings and my c. renda, get twice weekly steamy showers and root flushes. My flamethrower, grandis, and cunninghamiana seedlings joined the fun and I may or may not have imagined myself still living in South Florida standing outside in a hot July rainstorm as I sprayed them down..... 

Edited December 27, 2020 by chad2468emr

[kinzyjr]

Sitting tight at 37F here.  Odd, because only a few hundred yards away it's 41F. 

The same thing in Orlando.  +/- 10F?

 

[NickJames]

I’m you know whating bricks. LOL. 
Current situation. 

[floridaPalmMan]

2 minutes ago, NickJames said:

I’m you know whating bricks. LOL. 
Current situation. 

 

SAME!!

It's been hovering at 32.2F in my front yard for about an hour now. I'm biting my fingernails and have been staring at the temps just waiting to see it to drop below 32.

Edited December 27, 2020 by floridaPalmMan

[NickJames]

3 minutes ago, floridaPalmMan said:

SAME!!

It's been hovering at 32.2F in my front yard for about an hour now. I'm biting my fingernails and have been staring at the temps just waiting to see it to drop below 32.

You’re in Lake City?

It’s a sad day when Lake City and western Daytona Beach are the same temp...lol

[NickJames]

I’ve just deployed my handheld anemometer/thermometer to see what the temp is at my coconut palm. Giving it a few to acclimate then will check. 

[RedRabbit]

35.6f here currently, just a hair lower than this morning. If that cloud cover doesn’t arrive we’re in trouble tonight.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Look at this cold pocket 30 miles west of Orlando near Minneola. 26F??

[floridaPalmMan]

16 minutes ago, NickJames said:

You’re in Lake City?

It’s a sad day when Lake City and western Daytona Beach are the same temp...lol

Yea just southwest a bit of Lake City. And yes this is crazy I can't believe the ocean isn't helping you guys out more.

[NickJames]

Guys! I just got some great data from my backyard. Standby. LOL.

[NickJames]

So in a spot closer to house and dense plants...

it is 34.5 degrees, 2 degrees warmer than my official WeatherStation 

[NickJames]

At the coconut, and assisted by artificial heat, it is 38.1, 5.6 degrees warmer than WeatherStation

note this is simply sitting on an outer frond NOT under the protective blanket with even MORE heating component. 

[NickJames]

And at my official WeatherStation transmitting to Wunderground, it’s 32.5. 

[kinzyjr]

16 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

Look at this cold pocket 30 miles west of Orlando near Minneola. 26F??

WOW!  It's usually us in Polk that have those terribly low readings during radiational freezes!

[chad2468emr]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

Sitting tight at 37F here.  Odd, because only a few hundred yards away it's 41F. 

The same thing in Orlando.  +/- 10F?

 

Seeing similar for Kissimmee. Is this normal at all? Never paid this close of attention to individual stations on wunderground since this was never an issue to this degree further south. I’m finding this concerning and so strange. I have zero faith in temp forecasts from now on. 

[floridaPalmMan]

@NickJames Godspeed the remainder of the night.

[Estlander]

This is nuts. Bottomed out at 33F last night. At 32.4F already tonight. Forecast shows warmer temperatures from 2am onward and holding steady till morning though. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Estlander

[kinzyjr]

Just now, chad2468emr said:

Seeing similar for Kissimmee. Is this normal at all? Never paid this close of attention to individual stations on wunderground since this was never an issue to this degree further south. I’m finding this concerning and so strange. I have zero faith in temp forecasts from now on. 

The differences can usually be accounted for by looking at microclimate factors (elevation, proximity to large bodies of water, station location, UHI, etc. ), and the outlier measures can usually be ignored as reporting station errors. 

I've been monitoring the temperatures in Lakeland for the last 15 years and researching Florida temperature history for a few years now.  Usually, there is roughly a +4F advantage to being in downtown or near the Lakeland Square Mall on a hill vs. the airport (KLAL) in radiational events.  My current location has been roughly +3F in most radiational events.  January 2010 slightly diminished this effect because it lasted so long, but there was still an advantage.  KLAL recorded 23F for a minimum in January 2010 according to NOAA, but I recorded 26F for a minimum near the mall.  Looking at my posts on the Remarkable Palms of Tampa Bay thread, you can see plenty of pre-2010 palms that most likely would not have survived 23F as verification that there was some advantage in certain spots.

All of that said, this year has been anything but ordinary.

[chad2468emr]

2 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

The differences can usually be accounted for by looking at microclimate factors (elevation, proximity to large bodies of water, station location, UHI, etc. ), and the outlier measures can usually be ignored as reporting station errors. 

I've been monitoring the temperatures in Lakeland for the last 15 years and researching Florida temperature history for a few years now.  Usually, there is roughly a +4F advantage to being in downtown or near the Lakeland Square Mall on a hill vs. the airport (KLAL) in radiational events.  My current location has been roughly +3F in most radiational events.  January 2010 slightly diminished this effect because it lasted so long, but there was still an advantage.  KLAL recorded 23F for a minimum in January 2010 according to NOAA, but I recorded 26F for a minimum near the mall.  Looking at my posts on the Remarkable Palms of Tampa Bay thread, you can see plenty of pre-2010 palms that most likely would not have survived 23F as verification that there was some advantage in certain spots.

All of that said, this year has been anything but ordinary.

All such useful information! Thank you. 

In what way is this year anything but ordinary? I was seriously unsure of what to expect being new to 9b and used to the climate a full two sub-zones up from that. I wasn’t expecting this many cold nights, and I hope this is far from normal. It’s really quite the adjustment to have to watch the thermometer quite so anxiously for me. 

[chad2468emr]

Frost on car’s sunroof. It’s only 12:30am... 

[Kiplin]

No it's not typical. We generally in central FL have 1 or 2 nights a year in the 30s. This year, I think we're at 6 so far after tonight.

Luckily I'm in a nice microclimate. Sitting at 38 right now. All my palms were pretty cozy last night in the upper 40s under protection.