Citrus & Florida Freeze Event 1/21-1/22/09

[goCoogs]

According to these two maps it looks like the citrus crop could be in trouble.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-floridacitrusmap,0,5649034.flash?coll=orl-business-utility

and

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw

[jasons2k]

Some of those tempratures in the citrus areas are dangerously cold. I sure hope the forecasted temperatures bust or there are going to be some very unhappy farmers and gardeners in Florida tomorrow.

[jasons2k]

Wow, a freeze warning has now been issued for Metro Miami-Dade.

[jdray]

Not often you see Miami getting a freeze watch.

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
147 PM EST WED JAN 21 2009

...HARD FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM EST THURSDAY
FOR GLADES AND HENDRY COUNTIES...
...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM EST THURSDAY FOR
MOST OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA...EXCEPT IMMEDIATE EAST COASTAL
AREAS...
...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING FOR GLADES COUNTY...

FLZ067>075-174-221400-
/O.CON.KMFL.FZ.W.0002.090122T0700Z-090122T1400Z/
INLAND PALM BEACH-METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER-INLAND COLLIER-
INLAND BROWARD-METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE-METRO MIAMI DADE-
MAINLAND MONROE-FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PAHOKEE...SOUTH BAY...BELLE GLADE...
WELLINGTON...NAPLES...IMMOKALEE...CORAL SPRINGS...SUNRISE...
DAVIE...HOLLYWOOD...PEMBROKE PINES...HIALEAH
147 PM EST WED JAN 21 2009

Basically the entire state minus the keys is possible to hit freezing.

[gatorcane]

It's very rare to see dewpoints this low across Florida...teens in central FL?

[ronjon]

Hard Freeze over much of the FL peninsula tonight - would break records except it falls on the anniversary of the 1985 freeze (some of the coldest all time records). Yikes!

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL
1231 PM EST WED JAN 21 2009

...HARD FREEZE WARNING FOR MOST OF THE AREA TONIGHT...

...ALL INTERESTS NEED TO TAKE COLD WEATHER PRECAUTIONS TONIGHT INTO
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-FRI)...DEEP UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES DOWN THE
EASTERN U.S. INTO FL AS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE DROPS INTO THE BASE
TONIGHT TO BRING EVEN LOWER UPPER HEIGHTS OVER THE AREA FROM 06Z-
12Z. LIGHT NNW-N 850MB FLOW TO KEEP DRY AND COLD AIR ADVECTION IN
PLACE WHILE SFC ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE AIRMASS SETTLES OVER THE
AREA. ALL COMBINE TO PRODUCE LIGHT TO CALM WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES
FOR OPTIMAL RADIATIONAL COOLING OVERNIGHT WITH TEMPS FALLING
RAPIDLY AFTER SUNSET AND BOTTOMING OUT OVERNIGHT TOWARDS DAWN.
LATEST GUIDANCE EVEN COLDER THAN PREVIOUS THINKING AND HAVE
LOWERED TEMPS A FEW DEGREES AREAWIDE WHICH WILL PRODUCE LONG
DURATIONS OF TEMPS BELOW 27 DEGREES FOR HARD FREEZE WARNING
CONDITIONS FROM THE NATURE COAST SWARD THRU THE INLAND BAY AREA
AND INTO NORMALLY COLDER CENTRAL AND SW FL MAINLY BETWEEN I-75 AND
U.S. HWY 27. SO HAVE UPGRADED FREEZE WARNING TO HARD FREEZE
WARNING FOR THOSE LOCATIONS IN ALL COUNTIES EXPECT PINELLAS AND
LEE COUNTIES. IN HARD FREEZE AREAS EXPECT WIDESPREAD FROST AND
TEMPS 24-27 DEGREES WITH POCKETS OF LOWER 20S TO UPPER TEENS IN
THE NORMALLY COLDER LOCALS. MAINLY NORTHERN PINELLAS AND EASTERN
LEE COUNTIES TO SEE LONG DURATIONS OF 28-32 DEGREES WHILE RIGHT AT
THE COAST AND BEACHES TEMPS A FEW DEGREES ABOVE INLAND LOWS.
RECORD LOWS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE BROKEN AS THE 1985 COLD WEATHER
OUTBREAK OCCURRED ON THIS DATE WITH SOME OF THE LOWEST TEMPS EVER
RECORDED AROUND THE AREA.

[jasons2k]

I was wondering if/when the Tampa office would lower temps. It looks a bit strange to see the little dark blue island of "Hard Freeze Warning" for Hendry/Glades/OK counties (part of NWS Miami) while the interior counties for NWS Ruskin are still light blue with just the standard freeze warning....(soon to change at any moment...)

Edit: I see Tampa/Ruskin has now come around and all the interior spots are Dark Blue with a Hard Freeze Warning. Man, I really feel for gardeners in Florida right now. I checked on the Palm Society forum and they are not happy at all about this.

[CrazyC83]

Hard freeze criteria: 27 for 3 hours, correct?

Has it ever gone below freezing in the Keys?

[jasons2k]

Hard freeze criteria: 27 for 3 hours, correct??

It depends on the NWS office - I believe they have local standards in place to define a hard freeze. I think there are a few factors that determine it though, such as duration and also lowest temp. recorded.

Has it ever gone below freezing in the Keys?

Nope. The FL Keys are only place in FL completely safe from frost or freezes.

There are a couple of barrier islands along the peninsula like Miami Beach, Anna Maria and Sanibel that are not totally immune to freezes but they are incredibly rare, maybe once in a lifetime, if that. Anna Maria and Sanibel are so far out into the water that the cold air is moderated, and Miami Beach is so far south, it just doesn't happen.

Freezes are more common on the islands that hug the coast such as Sand Key (Clearwater) and Merritt Island, etc., but they are still pretty rare from Clearwater south on the west coast and from Cape Canaveral south on the east coast.

[CrazyC83]

I know in inland areas particularly north of I-4, freezes aren't all that uncommon. But this does seem to be one of the harder freezes in recent years.

[jasons2k]

Yes, this is true, once you get north of the I-4 corridor, freezes become much more commonplace, especially inland locations. It's not too uncommon for places like Brooksville to dip into the teens. The temperature gradient can be pretty tight across northern Central Florida.

[goCoogs]

"Rick Davis, NWS meteorologist, said clear skies and very light winds will allow temperatures to plummet overnight, as some areas see their lowest readings in years. "

http://www.fxstreet.com/news/forex-news/article.aspx?StoryId=5bc42fb9-f6b0-4496-8b0a-df57d298b3e2

[Ed Mahmoud]

30ºF already in JAX.

Ocala 28ºF.

Orlando Executive and MCO still above freezing, but dewpoint near 20ºF, hard freeze still seems likely.

Brooksville in Hernando County down to 25ºF already. Yowza!

[Ed Mahmoud]

Daytona Beach and the Kennedy Space Center have reached freezing!

[jdray]

Looks like my temps is going to bottom out around 18F tonight.


Currently 18F @ Cecil Field, with an 18F dewpoint.

Whole neighborhood looks like snow with all of the frost everywhere.




Good thing I actually have a real jacket to wear to keep warm (compared to a normal Florida winter jacket)

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Light freeze in saint petersburg with some frost, and a little ice on the car:
31*F for the low at my house

[MGC]

Who said it don't get cold in Florida? Got down to 50 in Key West, I imagine them Conchs are frozen......MGC

[Ed Mahmoud]

Looks like Daytona Beach was below freezing for 10 hours.

[jasons2k]

This freeze was certainly one of the most widespread I can remember - with a freeze down to Coral Springs & other parts of Dade County. Some records were set (24 at Tampa - Vandenberg and a low of 18 in Highlands County) but for the most part, it was not nearly as low as was forecasted. There was some plant damage, especially for those gardeners who really "push the zone" with their plants, but this was not the severe killing freeze that we had feared.

[jinftl]

Got down to 41 in Fort Lauderdale and 43 in Miami last night (airport official readings). Forecast lows for tonight are 5-10 deg warmer...and back to 'florida' temps by tomorrow.