florida Florida Winter 2024-2025

[flplantguy]

Forecast dropped again for tonight to 34, which tells me a possible 30, or 29 even. With subtle ice crystals on the cooperleaf this morning, and forecast uncertainty, i'm covering this time. I'm also going to commit to dense shade and possibly temp structural protections for a few already planted depending on location and observations tonight.  My gamble of warming and urban heat islands outpacing cold events is dubious hope i know, but its hope still lol. 

[Xenon]

Looks like a killing freeze for inland N FL/S GA tonight. Pretty "impressive" cold for the first week of December 

[Spikeinthetriangle]

No conspicuous frost here at the property in Eustis. Good oak and camphor canopy where the tender plants live. We’re also situated on a slight ridge between two lakes. No doubt this works to our benefit. Some very nice microclimates for northern central Florida in the triangle and also some serious cold pockets. It’s been an interesting area to observe during and after cold events, since relocating to the area in 2018

Always a bit surprised by how precipitously temps appear to drop in parts of the west central Florida interior. Assuming this has to something to do with topography in addition to a few more obvious factors. Appreciate any insights

Wishing everyone’s plants the best. Ready for a warm up 


 

[flplantguy]

2 minutes ago, Spikeinthetriangle said:

No conspicuous frost here at the property in Eustis. Good oak and camphor canopy where the tender plants live. We’re also situated on a slight ridge between two lakes. No doubt this works to our benefit. Some very nice microclimates for northern central Florida in the triangle and also some serious cold pockets. It’s been an interesting area to observe during and after cold events, since relocating to the area in 2018

Always a bit surprised by how precipitously temps appear to drop in parts of the west central Florida interior. Assuming this has to something to do with topography in addition to a few more obvious factors. Appreciate any insights

Wishing everyone’s plants the best. Ready for a warm up 


 

I think a big part of it is soil type and moisture content. Dry coarse sand holds no heat so it drops like a stone, but if there is water nearby or wetlands and moisture its not so extreme of a drop. Add in low spots with no cold drainage and the cold pockets can be very cold.  My yard this morning, where i mowed the front strip and the business across is low, was the only spot with frost on the whole street, since it had the least amount of thermal banking and plant insulation while sitting at the bottom of a slight hill to the south to gather colder air. The most notable are roadside ditches on those mornings but in moisture containing areas it doesnt happen like that at all.  Since most events here are radiational like this one and not advective it can be a stark difference, especially where the sandhills meet the gulf and urban heat island like in pasco (and formerly north pinellas before the cityscape).  Thats why part of me hopes it gets a bit more developed inland from me where two new subdivisions are planned between me and the cold pocket of shady hills.

[kinzyjr]

Last night dropped to 39F here, a bit below the 41F that was the lowest hourly measure at the airport.  That's the first time in a while it was cooler here than at the airport.  There was frost on rooftops, but nothing on the grass or cars this morning.  Tonight's forecast is for 38F-39F, depending on the site. 

[Brian M]

Cold December nights so far... Brrr! 41, 39 & 38. Minimal frost on the grass so far. We'll see what the morning brings. 

[flplantguy]

Another 33 degree reading this morning, places that were fine yesterday are in the 30s today and north weeki watchee is 25🥶.  Not sure on frost yet, but glad i covered things and glad its still 33 and not lower.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

apparently dropped to 34 this morning. glad i covered my succs

[SubTropicRay]

evaluation period is now over.  I'll take last year. 🙃

[flplantguy]

If you use blankets or sheets use thicker ones. I put some on my spindles that were thin sheets as precaution and made a mistake on the fronds. Two with the sheet resting on the surface transfered the cold and damaged a frond. The one sheet that fell off (no clips and i did it in the dark) had no visible dark spots on it this morning like the two others. The fronds were tucked in and not in their usual position, so the sheet on top of the flat frond (large surface area to conduct energy away) plus a tiny bit of frost to chill through the thin fabric, did some cosmetic damage.  Thicker blankets were perfect on anything else, but damage will show later on with warmth (if there is any more damage) so crossing my fingers there. I do not use anything active like heat cables, since we dont get that low typically and a cover works, just have to use the right one the right way.  Atypical but not unheard of for december, hopefully whatever warm up comes lasts into january and moderates the next cold front, but the Hudson bay vortex is stubborn in models so who knows?

[kinzyjr]

Ended up with ~37F here and in the hourly reports at the airport.  There was frost on the rooftops, ice on the cars, and the yards without trees had frost in the grass.  Fortunately, the trees in the front and back are enough to keep my slice of paradise frost-free.  The numbers for Florida's airports are in the attached zip file.  Hopefully we'll get the warmer weather that is currently forecast for next week.  I'm with @SubTropicRay - over it already and it we haven't had a freeze yet.

20241204_NWS.zip

[flplantguy]

Hovered at 40 all night last night. Ultimate low at or just below 33 on the tempest for two nights.  No damage under trees on anything uncovered except ragged looking sanchezia.  Three covered plants have damage from the sheet placed on them, the carpoxylon possibly due to afternoon sun on the cover i forgot to take off. Very much over it lol.  Nothing more than cosmetic issues though.

[Jimbean]

So far the coldest I have for the season, according to the two nearest weather stations, is 42.3 and 43.3, on 12/03

[kinzyjr]

Looks like a pair of cold snaps coming up in the long range (subject to change):

[HudsonBill]

@flplantguyi see your in hudson. I'm also in hudson. Your temps got super low! Mine never went below 35 in my backyard! Where are you located in hudson? 

[flplantguy]

9 hours ago, HudsonBill said:

@flplantguyi see your in hudson. I'm also in hudson. Your temps got super low! Mine never went below 35 in my backyard! Where are you located in hudson? 

Im off highway 19 closer to Aripeka.  I put that sensor (tempest sensor) in the most open area of the yard and lowest spot to get the best readings; based on damage, or lack of it, the sensor runs lower than the rest of the yard. The first night uncovered was worse than the second, the covers actually made it worse, so the layer of cold was very shallow. Im also on the north end of a slight hill above me to ghe south, so that cooler air can drain down to the lowest spot on the street. Under trees is significantly warmer and no frost at all.  I did that with the sensor to get the most exposed conditions but the dense forest was likely closer to 37 or so. No dew of frost there at all.  Inland from me a slight distance over the hill was below 26 in spots, and i saw melted papaya and banana leaves that confirmed it, whereas the ones in the low spot here next door are fine.  Im next to the shady hills cold pocket and heritage pines, but warmer than both by a bit based on the last few years.  I also get direct wind off the gulf, so the wind direction is key too.  Like a tug of war my plants pay for lol.

[HudsonBill]

7 hours ago, flplantguy said:

Im off highway 19 closer to Aripeka.  I put that sensor (tempest sensor) in the most open area of the yard and lowest spot to get the best readings; based on damage, or lack of it, the sensor runs lower than the rest of the yard. The first night uncovered was worse than the second, the covers actually made it worse, so the layer of cold was very shallow. Im also on the north end of a slight hill above me to ghe south, so that cooler air can drain down to the lowest spot on the street. Under trees is significantly warmer and no frost at all.  I did that with the sensor to get the most exposed conditions but the dense forest was likely closer to 37 or so. No dew of frost there at all.  Inland from me a slight distance over the hill was below 26 in spots, and i saw melted papaya and banana leaves that confirmed it, whereas the ones in the low spot here next door are fine.  Im next to the shady hills cold pocket and heritage pines, but warmer than both by a bit based on the last few years.  I also get direct wind off the gulf, so the wind direction is key too.  Like a tug of war my plants pay for lol.

Wow! I'm in hudson back off 52 between hudson Ave and 52. Right off colony road. Im usually very cold but I've noticed it's a little colder just northeast of me witch is the shafy hills area. I just had to cut down 2 massive live oaks that helped protect my front yard from frost. I got bad frost from this cold blast but 0 damage to my plants. I have a giant coconut palm out front. 

[flplantguy]

I also have VERY dry sand as my soil, and yours is likely much better at energy retention, especially if you irrigate beforehand. The shady hills area gets into the low 20s and high teens sometimes (jan 2022), yet the moisture and wetlands elsewhere keeps it warmer compared to that dry cold spot.  I have some wetlands between me and the cold pocket too that help keep it at bay (3 hours below freezing and 26 in jan 2022 in the same event) which is what helps you, plus urban heating. Check out the 2010 cold wave threads here, its a scary read. So are the street views from 2011 just after and all the defoliated queens and pygmy dates.  I'm going to try and irrigate heavily the day before the next one, and see what it does in that area compared to the dry spots nearby. I also removed all the weeds from the yard and created a worst case for the spot, so i guess i should be happy it wasnt more frosty outside the roadway area.

[HudsonBill]

3 hours ago, flplantguy said:

I also have VERY dry sand as my soil, and yours is likely much better at energy retention, especially if you irrigate beforehand. The shady hills area gets into the low 20s and high teens sometimes (jan 2022), yet the moisture and wetlands elsewhere keeps it warmer compared to that dry cold spot.  I have some wetlands between me and the cold pocket too that help keep it at bay (3 hours below freezing and 26 in jan 2022 in the same event) which is what helps you, plus urban heating. Check out the 2010 cold wave threads here, its a scary read. So are the street views from 2011 just after and all the defoliated queens and pygmy dates.  I'm going to try and irrigate heavily the day before the next one, and see what it does in that area compared to the dry spots nearby. I also removed all the weeds from the yard and created a worst case for the spot, so i guess i should be happy it wasnt more frosty outside the roadway area.

I hit 26 back in 2022 aswell! That was my first winter here and I was like wtf! Lol I remember doing a job up towards brooksville and seeing all the damaged queens and the customer telling me they hot 19. I was blown away. They are building 306 houses across the road from me and 162 directly behind me. Im hoping all the development around me helps me a little. If you drive from here to little road on hudson Ave or 52 the temp is always warmer. Have you ever seen the big coconuts off jasmine in port richey and others down off rowan in port richey? Huge fruiting coconuts taht have been there since 2018 on street view planted small 

[flplantguy]

Yeah there are quite a few in the urban areas, enough that i think all my 10a plants have a chance under cover where i am. There are a few big developments approved near me that may have a similar effect, at least it would keep the cold pocket further away from here.  This spot will never be fully urban heat island effected due to wetlands and its small size though.

[Looking Glass]

Please sir, please….

[HudsonBill]

11 hours ago, flplantguy said:

Yeah there are quite a few in the urban areas, enough that i think all my 10a plants have a chance under cover where i am. There are a few big developments approved near me that may have a similar effect, at least it would keep the cold pocket further away from here.  This spot will never be fully urban heat island effected due to wetlands and its small size though.

Yep but hey if I can somehow squeeze half a degree warmer out of anything I'll take it hahaha

[Merlyn]

I just checked the Wunderground 10 day forecast, it's supposed to rain on Wednesday afternoon and then get down to ~38F overnight.  Given past history I'm guessing it'll be close to freezing in my backyard, likely with heavy frost due to the rain.  My grass has already died back from 3 nights of frost, but no other plants are showing significant visible damage.  Thursday morning might be different...

[flplantguy]

They upped the rain chances to 70% on the coast which means it may actually rain lol.  Fast mover so im hoping that keeps the air moving and no frost comes. Im also hoping its slow enough in getting here that my latest plant order gets here fine, it will be CLOSE with the shipping but once its gere there is a nice spot in the greenhouse for them to adjust in.  The last frost was minimal and only caused some leaf drop on my copperleaf, so im hoping for that or none at all this time.

[JLM]

Its been a rather chilly start to December, with lows for the 12/1-12/8 period averaging at 34F. First freeze occurred the morning of 12/4 with a low of 28.8F, rounded to 29F. While the the low for 12/3 says 32F, it was 32.4F and therefore not freezing. 



How did the banana structure do during this stretch of cold? I would say it did well, with the coldest night being the first night, which was before i sealed off as many openings as i could find. After that first night, temperatures generally managed to stay 7-9F above the outside temp. The bananas are doing well, and all the potted plants have been put inside the structure now. I will be figuring out a way to keep humidity higher in there at all times. As for the heater im using, it is a portable indoor safe propane heater, and it works very well.


Expecting a low of 35F tonight with some frost, and 38F tomorrow night before lows warm back up into the 50s for Friday night.

[flplantguy]

A more typical winter front this time, right at freezing in the cold spots and 40+ everywhere else.  Us on the edge of the cold pocket saw upper 30s for a couple hours, with the official stations near me at 40 and my tempest at 37.4 degrees.  Metal ice started to form on car tops during that short calm period before sunup, but nothing noteworthy. thats perfectly fine with me, the last longer term chilly period was not ideal but a morning like this im ok with. Hopeing this contonues and warms the gulf back up before winter returns.  Looking like right before christmas another front will pass, that im watching closely now but nothing to get worried about yet.  La nina not in place and it shows with both wet and dry fronts (a third of an inch here yesterday) in quick sucession. Possible weak one later this winter, but late enough i dont think it will impact winter here much.

[kinzyjr]

The airport records for this morning's chilly start are attached in ZIP format.  In my locale, the airport recorded a low near 39F while my location recorded lows between 43F and 44F throughout the yard.

20241212_NWS.zip

[SubTropicRay]

The prediction for a warmer than normal winter is failing miserably.  30's for central Florida next weekend just before Christmas.  Looks like a 2 night whammy colder than anything during last year's "below" normal winter.

[flplantguy]

They are consistenty showing it too, but it backed down a bit. Still far enough out im not TOO worried but im watching close too. I like the sunny weather and daytime temps but the chillier nights are annoying.  I think windy too the first night. The pattern this year is allowing the cold to drop out of ghe north on occasion, but weaker, instead of one major outbreak all at once. Not sure what i prefer.

[Matthew92]

We sure have had our share of cold weather in Northwest FL. Away from coastal microclimates, we've had probably at least 8 frosts, and temps at or below freezing (28 deg at the lowest) at least 4 times maybe. Here's a yard in the area (not mine) that's showing the results. Even Strelitzia nicolai is damaged already.

[Matthew92]

The cold temps have also triggered the temperature/deciduous vegetation to react appropriately. Some of the best fall color I've seen around here! Photos don't do justice how brilliant some of these are in person.

Acer rubrum (red maple)

Ginkgo

Callery pear cultivar

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Sweetgum

Acer rubrum (red maple): these might be the cultivar 'October Glory'

Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle: might be 'Natchez' cultivar)

[flplantguy]

How many frosts and freezes are typical there by now? It felt early thats for sure, the trees here are doing the same with less beauty in them. Forecast has let go of rhe worse cold here, hopefully its an early and done winter but i will believe it when april arrives.

[Jimbean]

21 hours ago, Matthew92 said:

The cold temps have also triggered the temperature/deciduous vegetation to react appropriately. Some of the best fall color I've seen around here! Photos don't do justice how brilliant some of these are in person.

Acer rubrum (red maple)

Ginkgo

Callery pear cultivar

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Sweetgum

Acer rubrum (red maple): these might be the cultivar 'October Glory'

Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle: might be 'Natchez' cultivar)

That's actually really nice.  That's one of the benefits of living further north.  There's a couple of red maples around my house, and they are still mostly green with some yellowing leaves. 

[JLM]

On 12/16/2024 at 11:03 AM, Matthew92 said:

The cold temps have also triggered the temperature/deciduous vegetation to react appropriately. Some of the best fall color I've seen around here! Photos don't do justice how brilliant some of these are in person.

Acer rubrum (red maple)

Ginkgo

Callery pear cultivar

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Sweetgum

Acer rubrum (red maple): these might be the cultivar 'October Glory'

Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle: might be 'Natchez' cultivar)

Agree, fall color has been fantastic this season, made me feel like I was back home in Tennessee. Some trees still changing over. Usually by now trees have just had a mass exodus of leaves and we are in winter mode by now, but not this year. Several trees in my neighborhood are only just now beginning to drop their leaves, while a few are already bare. Not sure ive ever seen such vibrant reds and oranges since ive lived down here, its truly an experience!

[flplantguy]

Florida west coast this morning is pretty chilly. Coldest spots below freezing as far south as Shady Hills, low 40s in south Pinellas and east of Eastlake towards Keystone. My place on the edge of the cold pocket was 39 briefly and is on the way up now. Interesting being only 3 degrees different, but a light wind was mixing the air all night.  Most of Pinellas was above 45 still, i remember closing the greenhouse only a few nights this time of year (below 45) before an extended chill spell at some point later on after new years. Rarely was it closed longer than a few days at a time.  Im loving the sun this year too, much nicer even eith chill compared to last years gloom (i didnt mind that either if i can avoid a freeze)

[JLM]

Got down to 30F this morning. Majesty will probably not be very happy since I forgot to cover it, but it’ll be fine.

[kinzyjr]

The garden ended up with measures between 43F(lowest) and 44F (highest).  The airport recorded a lowest hourly measure of 41F.  The airport records for the latest cool-off are attached in ZIP format.

20241222_NWS.zip

[Looking Glass]

Looks like cooler weather is ahead for January 1-10th.  So far it’s been a pretty warm start down here, but some extended cool temps seem on the horizon.  

[kinzyjr]

3 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Looks like cooler weather is ahead for January 1-10th.  So far it’s been a pretty warm start down here, but some extended cool temps seem on the horizon.  

Yep, looks like cold is incoming.  The numbers on the forecast have been dropping.  There wasn't anything below 40F yesterday morning.

[D. Morrowii]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

Yep, looks like cold is incoming.  The numbers on the forecast have been dropping.  There wasn't anything below 40F yesterday morning.

That doesn't look like the average 3-4 day run.