Hi Marcia, you have a freeze warning? Do you live in Sarasota, I just checked weather.com and I didn't see a freeze warning for you or me (Highlands county)? Just wondering if I missed something? What station did you see it at...Thanks!

I did notice Hillsborough county is under a freeze watch...I'm sure by tomorrow it will be a warning since its suppose to be colder Sun night/Monday morning...

I live in North Port--away from water that might moderate the temps for me. Weather.gov predicts 33 degrees for Sunday night but that is too close to freezing for me not to be concerned :)

Let's hope it stays much warmer!
Marcia

Here is a link that might be useful: weather.gov

Hi Marcia...I totally understand what you're saying and right to be concerned, 33 degrees is way too close to take any chances. You're forecast for tomorrow night is actually a degree colder than I am, either way too COLD for certain plants. Let's hope for the best and like you said that they are wrong.

Good luck to all of us!

It is also forecast to be windy all weekend; as I look out the window the trees are a-swaying and it is overcast. Both should contribute to keeping us away from a damaging freeze.

But, better be safe than sorry, take care of that hibiscus, especially since it is new.

forecast for Mt Dora 30 tonight 28 tomorrow. Just when everything started to recover from the last one

In Jax hard freeze warning + this insane wind at 20-30mph. Has already snapped a few of my Alaska pea's at the ground. I've got some spinach, swiss chard, and broccoli to consider covering, however it's impossible to do so with this wind without damaging the plants. Not sure what to do.

Also, the Japanese Magnolias (which smell awesome) and the azela's all started blooming this past week. Not sure what will happen.

34-35 degrees this morning...its barely 36 degrees now and its 10 oclock! Tonight will be even worse :o(

It got to 39 close to the house here last night--probably a little colder out in the yard--but more worrisome is tonight and early Monday morning as the weather report is now saying a low of 32 degrees. I dug up the hibiscus and a couple other small plants I put in the ground recently and will store them in the garage or house. I plan to put weighted down black plastic nursery pots over those small plants that are now leafing out after being frozen in the last hard freeze and hope for the best. All the larger plants with new growth will have to cope as best they can.
Marcia

In St. Pete it got down to 37F, they blew it here by about 5 degrees, but the wind saved most everything. I wonder if they will revise the morning temps, or be more accurate tomorrow?

Tom

Tom,

Were they 5 high or low?

OUCH......It got COLD here in Downtown Orlando last nite ....and my temporary shelter opened with the wind

......31.5 degrees inside the tent at Sunrise

doug

Already down to 41 and not even 8 pm. :(
Marcia

Its AWFUL isn't it!! Keeping fingers crossed we get some Clouds tonight to help it from dropping like a rock! We need some good luck tonight!

I'm so exhausted from covering of all my Mango trees and lugging in all my cold sensitive plants! I really need to stop buying plants,lol...then spring hits and I forget about "freezes". Such is the life of a plant lover. I know you all know what I'm feeling and going through...

Yes, I moved all my plants...all the ones hardy to 10a that are a stretch in my 9b zone. I never learn, why do I think my yard will eventually develop it's own microclimate, if I keep putting more tropical plants in it.
My living room looks like a jungle: orchids, night blooming cereus, baby hong kong orchid trees, dwarf poincianas, an Equador pink brug, and a Jamiacan cherry tree. I ran out of blankets, so I wrapped one of my bougainvilleas in my fleece robe, hey it keeps me warm. My husband says I'm obsessed, but he doesn't understand the frustration of waiting for weeks or months to see if your dead looking plants are merely dormant.

Let's hope that's the last one for this year. I'm ready for spring. And daylight savings time so I can have an hour or so after work to putter around outside.

I'm happy to report that our low was only 35 degrees this morning. I just wish the forecasters would be a little more accurate in predicting these "freeze warnings"...they upgraded my freeze watch to a freeze warning yesterday afternoon, said it would be below freezing for appx. 5 hours below 32 degrees and yet I was a degree warmer from the day before,lol...I don't mind being warmer than predicted but goodness there's a HUGE difference between 35 degrees to up to 5 hours of below 32!

Its just SO much work covering all these plants when I didn't have too...Se la vie...Thanks for letting me vent about these inaccurate forecasting!

I couldn't agree more! When I saw the upgrade to warning in the middle of the afternoon, I rushed out and brought more stuff in. And this morning, I see it didn't get below 37! I realize predicting the weather may not be easy, but with all the technology available, you'd think it would be!
Let's just hope this is the end of cold this year so we can all go back to being happy that we chose to be gardeners!

Was 35.8 close to the house so maybe it didn't hit freezing in the middle of the yard. I have a few things to re-plant and covers to take off this morning. I know it was extra work but my garden isn't too big yet. If there wasn't so much new growth on plants from the very warm weather we've been having, it wouldn't have been so worrisome. Yes, let's hope that's it for the cold this year! I love my plants :)
Marcia

It is my understanding that frost can occur if the temperatures are above freezing. It depends where your thermometer is, on the ground,
elevated, or on a wall.
I don't know the physics of the temperature of the object, like a windshield, the humidity, and temperature combinations, etc. My brother the PhD tried to explain it all to me and I started hearing, "Blah, blah, blah..."
But I do believe that frost can form on a windshield, and a plant on the ground, if the ambient air temperature is above freezing.

Am I wrong, smart people? I was an art major.

Carol B. in Sarasota

Not wrong at all - I don't understand it either (cuz I was married to an artist?) but it has something to do with the water vapor. I just know it happens!
Hester