Ski Florida!
Florida citrus growers may have dodged at least the worst of the crop damage that a major cold snap brought to the shivering Sunshine State. But it has snowed overnight in some areas in Florida. The bitter cold has enveloped many areas of the nation, with Louisiana going into emergency operations to save people from the cold weather blanketing that state.
When temperatures get down to 28 degrees for four hours, a tree can be ruined. While forecasts said it could get that cold overnight, temperatures hovered in the 30s in central and South Florida where most orange and grapefruit growers are based.
"Overall, this is preliminary, but it looks like we have dodged a bullet," said Rusty Wiygul, director of grower affairs for Florida Citrus Mutual. He said there will be pockets of minor damage.
Growers were doing two things — harvesting as many mature fruits and vegetables as possible, and trying to protect plants by spraying them with water that freezes, insulating the temperature at 32.
Temperatures in many areas of northern Florida dropped into the 20s early Thursday, following the 30-degree temperatures some northern parts of the state saw Wednesday. Cross City was 20. Farther south, Orlando was 31 and it was 39 in Miami. Snow flurries were reported near the Daytona Beach coastline, the first in Florida since 2006.
People in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast and the Ohio Valley woke up to sub-freezing temperatures…..
…..The unusually low temperatures led New Orleans emergency officials to enact a "freeze plan" on New Year's Eve, allowing homeless shelters to temporarily exceed their fire safety capacity. Six shelters took on 700 extra cots between them, boosting the city's capacity of about 400 shelter beds. The plan is expected to last through Thursday.
Southern California has major rainfall forecast and authorities there are warning residents to be alert for mudslides. (Remind me again why people choose to live there? If it isn't fire, it's mudslides. Yeesh.) By the way, Accuweather predicts temperatures in the low twenties with windchills making it feel like about 8 degrees for Des Moines, Iowa tonight. If you don't think the brutal temperatures there will have an adverse impact on caucus turnout, you're dreaming. In is still bitterly cold in the Midwest.
Environment | Gaius Thursday, 3 January , 2008
By Neo, Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 11:18 am
This guys seems to say .. get used to it.
By quilly mammoth, Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 12:40 pm
I think the temperature in Des Moines proves beyond a doubt that there is no such thing as manmade Climate change. If all the hot air spilled there over the past several weeks hasn’t raised the temps nothing will.
By NortonPete, Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 1:39 pm
I just watched a weather report from a local PA station. It showed the current tempertures, but I can’t understand the large diffference in the numbers, 16 degrees.
In a radius of about 15 miles with relatively similar terrain and elevation, they reported current temperatures mid-day of between 6 and 22 degrees. [6, 11, 18, 21, 22 ]. The cold front is centered on top of this area, it is sunny with low winds.
There has to be something wrong with the reporting stations or the placement of them. If I’m wrong, then all weather records are suspect if the station has been moved or relocated by a few miles.
Would an average of these mean anything? I think not.