Coldest Temperatures since the Arctic Outbreak of December 1989

[jwitt]

2 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

I’ve heard 35% of Austin is without power, I’m NW of there. I’ve also heard of problems with natural gas. I’m in a new build, so it’s pretty well insulated. But there are some old homes in parts of Austin. I can only imagine the temperature drop in a 70-90 year old pier and beam home, over 3-4 hours. 

The power is is being regulated due to the frozen Nat gas pumping stations on the plains. Same thing happened in 2011. Entire cities in NM were shut off(no heat) during a colder event.  A lot of your electricity comes from Nat gas.

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/grid-chaos-2-million-texans-without-power-rolling-blackout-begin 

Edited February 15, 2021 by jwitt
Addition/link

[SailorBold]

Prayers with all of you.   

[jwitt]

Ditto that. Prayers for all!

It is like deja vu all over again.  

Things will thaw.

Water will flow(leaks)

Some palms may flop. Some may look dead. Give em time!  

The anti palm people will feel in power.

There will be many surprises in a good way in the end!  

Filifera seed gathering in spots could be exceptional in certain places for the next year or two!

[NorCalKing]

Wow. My heart goes out to you guys. We've been looking at the models coming in for days, and I don't think anyone really thought it would verify. And the incredible part is, the colder of the two nights is not suppose to be until tonight, if I'm not mistaken. Either way, this is truly historic. 

st valentine's day massacre.

[Keys6505]

Just saw this from my power company in League City:

"If you are a customer who is currently experiencing an outage, you should be prepared to be without power for at least the rest of the day," the company said.

Awesome.

[Matthew92]

I still find it weird of the sharp temperature gradient along the Gulf Coast with the FL peninsula getting off scot-free and being OBNOXIOUSLY warm (and hot even). Of course in reality it is due to the Atlantic ridge of high pressure nosing in from the East stopping the arctic air in its tracks. I also believe that is what's causing this cold wave to be more severe over TX, NM, LA as it "pinches" the arctic air farther south between these features. Even still though, those of us in the Western FL Panhandle are looking to get a solid freeze as the arctic front moves through this evening (after a round of potentially severe storms).

Those in FL need to thank our lucky stars and use this as a wake up call that such a severe cold event is not immune from happening anywhere in the southern US and to take notes/make plans on protection measures for when it would happen.

My heart is with you all in TX and the adjoining regions being primarily impacted by this.

[jwitt]

Even into Mexico. Saw Monterrey at 23f. They were 100f last week!

Cuidad Victoria was 32f. I think they are like Cuba latitude!

 

These were temps when I looked. Maybe even not lows! Wild!

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

6 minutes ago, Matthew92 said:

I still find it weird of the sharp temperature gradient along the Gulf Coast with the FL peninsula getting off scot-free and being OBNOXIOUSLY warm (and hot even). Of course in reality it is due to the Atlantic ridge of high pressure nosing in from the East stopping the arctic air in its tracks. I also believe that is what's causing this cold wave to be more severe over TX, NM, LA as it "pinches" the arctic air farther south between these features. Even still though, those of us in the Western FL Panhandle are looking to get a solid freeze as the arctic front moves through this evening (after a round of potentially severe storms).

Those in FL need to thank our lucky stars and use this as a wake up call that such a severe cold event is not immune from happening anywhere in the southern US and to take notes/make plans on protection measures for when it would happen.

My heart is with you all in TX and the adjoining regions being primarily impacted by this.

Believe me, we are all thanking our lucky stars here in southern FL, while at the same time, feeling very bad for those of you in normally warmer places in Texas/ LA etc.   We are all watching in horror down here.  I hope that things don't get killed off as massively as some think might happen.  The temps I've been seeing all over TX and LA, but especially TX, are pretty incredible.   Im from DC and the coldest I experienced there in that metro area was -15, and that was once.   Usually the cold snaps there are like what is occurring now in TX. -5 to +10F at the coldest.    Its hard for me to imagine places like Houston, Austin, San Antonio, even Dallas to some degree, seeing that kind of cold.  I guess however it is very continental there and there is no real buffer against these arctic blasts coming down the continent.   The high pressure "protecting" the south east as you said is also probably responsible for maximizing this arctic incursion in terms of how far south and severity as well. 

  I think most here in FL know we can get very cold here as it has happened in the past.   This winter here in FL has been the "coldest" in terms of duration of temps 10-20 degrees below average highs and lows.  That pattern lasted from late October / early Nov through the last week in January.   There have been a few shaper cold snaps that have seen coastal zone 10 areas on the west coast hit upper 30s to low 40's, and inland mid  to upper 20's, but again short lived for a couple hours just before dawn.  My coldest reading here on the water this winter has been 44F.  The coldest since I moved down here 3.5 years ago has been 37F.    I think even if FL did get this same kind of arctic incursion, it would still be somewhat moderated, especially from Orlando southward as being  a long peninsula surrounded by realatively warm waters  does moderate the cold fairly significantly.  I don't think you would see those Dallas like temps further south than north of Orlando.  Upper teens yeah for sure.      Orlando's all time record low is 18F, in 1894.  It last hit 19 in 1985.

Tampa's all time low is 18F, and Saint Petersburg's is 20F.   That said,  there are likely inland rural spots / cold sinks that do get colder, and some near water that may remain a little warmer.   Even still though, those kinds of temps down here would be nearly as bad, especially in the Tampa Bay area as there are lots of old tall tropical plants /palms here, including Coconuts that might be taken out.    Believe me we hope that never happens here again. 

[Collectorpalms]

1 hour ago, NorCalKing said:

Wow. My heart goes out to you guys. We've been looking at the models coming in for days, and I don't think anyone really thought it would verify. And the incredible part is, the colder of the two nights is not suppose to be until tonight, if I'm not mistaken. Either way, this is truly historic. 

st valentine's day massacre.

Speak only for yourself please. I have sounding the alarm for 7 days that this was central and north Texas hardest freeze since 1989. Only thing that was in question was exactly how cold. 
Again the latest GFS forecast for tomorrow. 12z is 6am. For those of along the ridge axis that clear out with heavy snow cover, we could still drop another 2 degrees after 6am from the forecast below. 
 

I put a thermometer under my mule palm to see if it made any difference. It was still 8f and it’s currently 20f which match the morning air temperature but is running a little higher now than air temperature.

The temperature of the snow when it came down was around 16. Snow albedo is high, reflecting 80/90 percent of the sun, however we are now under a low cloud deck again. 
 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

55 minutes ago, Keys6505 said:

Just saw this from my power company in League City:

"If you are a customer who is currently experiencing an outage, you should be prepared to be without power for at least the rest of the day," the company said.

Awesome.

So I blame HEB for a big reason we flooded during Harvey. They literally got away with pumping tons of concrete in the ground and wasn't required to do any drainage to the surrounding area. Now being on the same grid as HEB has allowed me to keep the lights on. Case of win some or lose some. Such a freak event obviously something this area isn't equipped for. 

T J 

[NBTX11]

The low last night was 9 and the forecast low for tonight is around 10. Correct me if I’m wrong but I saw GFS models close to zero for SA, in which case it was off. 
 

Granted, this is extreme cold and will be one for the record books. This will be talked about like 1989, 1983, and 1949 among others. 

[NorCalKing]

7 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Speak only for yourself please. I have sounding the alarm for 7 days that this was central and north Texas hardest freeze since 1989. Only thing that was in question was exactly how cold. 

Oh, I was sounding the alarm. I bet I have at least 10+ posts in this thread (several with GFS screen shots like above). The difference is, I've been saying the GFS is well known in weather circles as having a cold bias. Sadly this time it was pretty close to verifying.

Edited February 15, 2021 by NorCalKing

[Collectorpalms]

3 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

The low last night was 9 and the forecast low for tonight is around 10. Correct me if I’m wrong but I saw GFS models close to zero for SA, in which case it was off. 
 

Granted, this is extreme cold and will be one for the record books. This will be talked about like 1989, 1983, and 1949 among others. 

GFS has never backed down from being the coldest winter day since 1989. Period. Question was where it would rank. 

[NBTX11]

2 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

GFS has never backed down from being the coldest winter day since 1989. Period. Question was where it would rank. 

I get that. However if it predicted zero, it was way off (so far)

[AnTonY]

WHOA. Just woke up, and noticed that it was lots of snow across the land. Some places are still in the teens and it's almost 12PM - even Victoria, TX is still 19°F. Even Corpus Christi is still at 22°F at nearly noon, only a degree warmer than central Houston.

The system has been much slower than I thought, which isn't good. Especially since the precip was snow (substantial in many areas) rather than sleet as I saw many models advertise.

The skies should be quite clear by afternoon statewide. But if there isn't a new surge of clouds overnight, then things will get real ugly real fast. Combine that with lack of power, some places the entire day and night. Not good at all.

Edited February 15, 2021 by AnTonY

[NBTX11]

Currently around 24F, I think I’ll make it to 30 today. Sun is helping

[mulungu]

14 hours ago, mnorell said:

Everyone in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi currently having palpatations and anxiety attacks...I completely feel your pain, but please read this edition of Principes regarding the terrible winter of 1976-77 in Texas. You may find some reassuring information, especially in planning your "revised" gardens after the freeze is over. 

Thanks much for that reference article. 

From what I gather, no protective measures were afforded to the palms in those freezes-- was that your sense as well(?)-- which would make their recovery all the more impressive. 

This has me clinging here to a vestige of hope that when the protective blankets/pots/bins/tarps are peeled back this weekend I will encounter something more than just the acrid, sickly-sweet aroma of frostbitten, dead plant material.

[NBTX11]

I’m one of the warmer areas of the state. Corpus is in the low 20s. 

[NorCalKing]

Check out some of these records. Many were not just edged out, they were completely obliterated!!!

 

 

[NBTX11]

Areas of San Antonio broke freezing today. And supposedly will again tomorrow. 

[NBTX11]

San Antonio’s almost 10 degrees warmer than Houston. Did we get more sunshine today?  Or did the cold move east. 

[Meangreen94z]

24 minutes ago, NorCalKing said:

Check out some of these records. Many were not just edged out, they were completely obliterated!!!

 

 

Coldwater, Texas showed -17*F at 7am . Maybe CollectorPalms can tell us if that’s the official low for Texas.

[Matt N- Dallas]

[PricklyPearSATC]

40 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

Areas of San Antonio broke freezing today. And supposedly will again tomorrow. 

I don't want the snow to melt today or pack due to melting.  It's providing insulation. 
Icicles are breaking off.  Temps are hovering just below 32. 
San Antonio. 

[Meangreen94z]

19*F here, no melt,  and it looks like it will stay cloudless through the night. We may end up dropping lower than last night. 

[NBTX11]

I had tons of melt.  Sun was out, was around 32 degrees, snow melting all day.  I don't know if we officially broke freezing, but a lot of places did, some possibly mid 30's.  I went outside and actually shoveled my back porch in shorts and I did not freeze.    

 

[Collectorpalms]

No melt here. High of 20 low of 9. That is -40 below normal. Expecting the big drop in temperatures from San Marcos to areas north and west of Houston tonight, areas that have the most snow. We have about 8 inches of powder. No power. 
Despite the forecast of the 2nd coldest night in record, all palms appear already dead, otherwise if it was just a quick drop, I would be in a frantic state, but I do not expect anything can survive given the duration of the freeze plus the remainder of the weeks forecast.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Sun was out all day with the roads starting to clear up but not much else melted. I saw 18 on the weather station around 2.  We spent a good portion of the day removing snow from greenhouses and making a few repairs to plastic. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Things are looking bad for Houston tonight.  @Meangreen94z the all time low in TX was in Seminole ( very close to where I grew up). I think it was -23f.  How the record cold was in west TX and not Dumas or Canadian is a mystery to me. 

[Swolte]

33 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Despite the forecast of the 2nd coldest night in record, all palms appear already dead, otherwise if it was just a quick drop, I would be in a frantic state, but I do not expect anything can survive given the duration of the freeze plus the remainder of the weeks forecast.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Yepp same here. Bad news is that we overlooked the butia x parajubaea hybrid. It wasnt wrapped at all unfortunately.  Real bummer there. 

[Meangreen94z]

Sabal Minor looking happy after a 4*F night

[AnTonY]

4 hours ago, NBTX11 said:

San Antonio’s almost 10 degrees warmer than Houston. Did we get more sunshine today?  Or did the cold move east. 

The former. San Antonio was clear by sunrise, whereas Houston had lingering cloud cover until later in the afternoon - same as Corpus.

[NBTX11]

12 minutes ago, AnTonY said:

The former. San Antonio was clear by sunrise, whereas Houston had lingering cloud cover until later in the afternoon - same as Corpus.

OK makes sense, it was sunny all day from sunrise to sunset today in SA.  "Warmed" up to around the 32 degree mark all over the place...some going higher than that.

I doubt this makes any difference in the long run for marginal palms, but it can't hurt any.  Tonight may be colder with no cloud cover and totally calm out.

Edited February 16, 2021 by NBTX11

[Jimbean]

I would like to see a comparison drawn between this and the 1989 Texas freeze.  Also, I am curious to how native hardwoods (i.e. mangroves) survive in south Texas. 

[ShadyDan]

The Texas cold is even making news up here north of the border! Wishing our southern friends the best...

 

 

 

[PricklyPearSATC]

Forecast is not very good for San Antonio for the next few nights.  Palms won't catch a break until Saturday. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by PricklyPearSATC

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, PricklyPearSATC said:

Forecast is not very good for San Antonio for the next few nights.  Palms won't catch a break until Saturday. 

Yeah, a brutal week but atleast the low on Saturday rose from 36*F to 43*F locally. The low tonight was forecasted to be 8*F when I checked at 5pm, but as you can seen is now matching the actual temperature. Accuweather had 3*F , about what we are on pace for. Possibly lower.

[Meangreen94z]

Sadly it looks like complete devastation of any and all tropicals in Miami

[Meangreen94z]

Canadian, TX appears to have the lead for lowest low in the state tonight. There’s several towns within 1-2*F of it in the upper eastern portion of the panhandle. I’ll check again around 7am.