Steve, good luck with the vortex visit. We're due to get single digits from that storm.

-1F predicted so far for us. I have to shore up some insulation for plants resting in my shed.

Checked on my Citrus today, after trekking through two feet of snow to get to the rear garage. Looking good but some were getting dry so I piled up the snow on the soil surfaces. Hopefully, they will modify those temps in the long range, right now I may bottom out at 10 F for the winter (Zone 7/NJ), so I expect the lowest this year will be around 30F in my Citrus and palm winter garden.

Update: I just checked my local forecast in the extended, they really modified those low temps, now my minimum is forecast at 17 F, which is not too bad.

Getting steadily bumped up. Now it is 14F lowest temperature instead of -1F.

Still no snow yet in Olympia, WA, so far in the year, but the forecast expects 4 days of snow beginning Feb 10.

The low coming next Sunday morning has now been bumped up to +6F and will be this cities single digit temperature for almost 2 years. This will be the longest period Cincinnati stayed above single digits in 150 years.

Ken, single digits in VA>>>???! Unheard of or is that normal. Not even will I be that cold. I am not seeing anything above freezing for days on end, and so much for the unusually warm winter we were suppose to get. They never get it right.

Steve , good luck buddy. Thank God only 20's here. Go figure, the coldest night of the year for me here Friday night and the grindhouse lost heat. 28 degrees in there by the time I caught it. Ice on my orchids and everything in between((((

So much for hardy lemons))

And this sea saw ride just keeps going on as long as the cold arctic air has no where to go but south in the east as the warmth pushes it upwards and melts the glaciers in the far western regions.

As luck would have it last week our heating system started acting up. Called a guy and he needed to order parts which eventually arrived today. And today morning our furnace was near ready to give up the ghost and just in time it got fixed.

Furnaces and hot water heaters always seem to bite the dust in February for me, historically.

It is getting worse. The forecast just called for -21C/ -6F

Steve

-5F now for us now on Sunday. This is quite crazy.

Still expected to bottom out at 16 F by me but more snow expected, and this was supposed to be mild February?! Tropic, that -5 F is the actual minimum for a 6B zone, so not that anomalous..., though your recent years may have been milder than normal.

@MeyerMike VA normally doesn't get single digits, except during vortex events. Right now, my forecast is 9 on Sunday. It was due to be a 7 predicted for this weekend when I posted previously. But we'll see how accurate the weather forecast is.

Phoenix -5F is indeed the min for 6B but this forecast fluctuation is interesting. Now we are back down to 1F predicted. Last few years had been way above normal for us. Last year we hit 60+ in Feb an was warm for a couple of weeks. Then in March we hit as low as 10F for equally extended period.

Yeah, last several Februarys have been ridiculously erratic! And last January?! We were on the back deck in the shade, having a barbeque with a temperature in the low 70's. A few Februarys back, I lost a prized Crape Myrtle as it developed a frost crack along the south facing trunk. That happens, btw, when you have real warmth alternating with hard frost. Would you believe the whole darn thing recuperated from the roots and it's a tree again. I am worried that the next disaster will be record rainfall on top of the record snowfall. Regarding the fluctuation in those minimums, I think it's related to what the models think will happen to that polar air mass as it moves south and east. They either are or are not predicting another big East coast storm. Now, it looks like the storm will pass to the south of me, and every time I check the local forecast there is a different minimum (which usually means it won't be as bad as forecasted), but heck, my Citrus made it through the low of 4 F. a few years ago, (my greenhouse/garage) went down to a minimum of 28 F and everything was fine. Hope it works our for you guys and your Citrus. Peace out.

Its interesting to see your comments and the different climates. Here in eastern canada it snows ALOT and its very cold from december to early april. We regularly get temperature around -10F as a night time low. I've seen -20F a few times a year and usually -40F once or twice a year factoring the wind chill. I've had a few winters with over 5 meters of total snowfall and we are at sea level. It makes gardening interesting

It's all relative Kevin, but they are calling for a low of 11 F in Houston, Texas. That is insane! That would be colder than my coldest minimum this winter in NJ in a February that has been absolutely hellacious.

This weather is crazy! They are now calling for 3F in Southwest Arkansas! Below freezing for five to six days, and that is the high!! Very unusual for us. Guess I will have to start over. I'm not expecting my figs, (in ground), to make it. Hopefully they will come back from the roots. Gingers will be mush, tried to dig at least one rhizome of each, to take into the house. May lose everything in the greenhouse if it gets that low. How do you northern people deal with this all the time? Literally sick at my stomach, to think I might lose it all. Tomorrow, I am taking cuttings of all the citrus, just in case, should be able to root or graft them. (I was planning to graft one of each to flying dragon later anyway). Some of the smaller one's will come in the house. Might be okay if the electric stays on. But I don't count on that, as much of ours will probably be ice then snow.

I will be getting 10 more inches of snow/insulation before we drop way down.

Our cold has been pushed off 4 more days making it 11 day late for the first cold prediction.

Steve

Redneckgirlgreenthumb, in my neck of the woods figs freeze to the ground every several years. Figs are capable of fruiting on the new growth. Depending on the height of your plants, you may be able to cover them. Using insulated materials, sealng tightly and leaving the space between the plant and the relatively warm soil unblocked can do wonders for protection.

3-5 days of exposure is still a relatively short period by northern standards. 3-4 weeks without snow cover will allow frozen soil to a depth of 36 inches or more.

Under deep snow cover, warmth deeper in the soil will eventually thaw the soil all the way up to the snow, if the snow remains deep enough.

This same soil warmth can be utilized under an insulated cover to protect plants under the insulation.

In the longer term, several pitfalls can crop up using this method of protection. Rodents can move into the protected zone and strip the bark off the plants and fungi can eventually attack the plants, with or without rodent damage.

Coldest I see for a low in northern VA now is 27 degrees with nearly every day above freezing. But it changes daily. Getting ice right now. So relieved we'll not get the brunt of the polar vortex. Been there before. After a week or so, we should be out of it.

The problem for the middle of the country is that there are no natural barriers (i.e., west-east mountain ranges) to prevent these arctic air masses from moving south after they leave Canada. It's amazing how far south these cold dense air masses can drop (there are currently winter snow watches or warning out for as far south as the US Texas, Gulf coast down to MEXICO!

The mid Atlantic and Northeast coastal areas benefit some from the Appalachians, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the offshore Gulf Stream. So we tend to get these coldest air masses once they get somewhat modified. Another mitigating factor to plant damage is snow cover as it very insulating. (There is a two foot snow cover in my yard for the last two weeks). Rather than record cold, the bigger concern here now is ice storms. So, looks like my minimum this year, is 15 F. (21 F. for this current arctic outbreak), but what's been unusual is the sustained freezing temps for mid February, normally, there is more melting between storms, or rain events.

P.S., To the poster above, I think your figs will be fine, though there may be some above ground die back.

It's been a few years since we have had weather this bad, then it got down to 8F. The weatherman changes the forecast every couple of hours. They started out as 18F, then went down from there, now 3F. Just checked and they have moved it back up to 8F. I don't even know how to cope with this. Done what I can do, so now I wait and see if I have anything left when it's over. By the 24th, day temps back into the 60's!!!

Not sure what you are more concerned with, outside, in-the-ground, or in the greenhouse? I only worry about loss of power in my garage/greenhouse. Outside, everything will be fine, but I don't have gingers in the ground. Those will be an issue.

P.S., Yes, it's supposed to be an above normal Spring in terms of temps for what survives.

I'm worried about all of it. The figs that are in ground were just planted this last fall. I think that I will be alright in the greenhouse,(hopefully), with the heaters and tarp. If the electric doesn't go out. A lot of large citrus, a large avocado and various other plants in the greenhouse. Years of growing. Just hate the thought of losing all that. I am NOT a winter, snow type person, give me 100F any day of the week, sunshine and blue skies. I dug a rhizome of each ginger, and took cuttings of the figs. Now we wait. This sort of weather is unnerving for me, so unusual.

Gosh @redneckgirl, good luck with those trees. Its always a nail biter with your children (aka trees). In your greenhouse, you could start a 22k BTU kerosene heater on it's lowest setting every evening. One lowest setting, that would go several nights - to protect you from any overnight power outages. Even if the power is out for a few days, a 6 gallon of fuel would allow you to run continuously. I've got a 22k for power outages that I've had to use for a 5 day power outage in winter quite a few years ago.

My low of 3F has past 10 day later than predicted. The flowers and shoots have survived so I can assume that the remaining fruit is good to. Appears there is no damage to 3 of 4 in ground trees and I have yet to check the 4th tree. 3 days we are getting a low of 4F, predicted.

Steve

Steve thank God for you ad everyone else.

I'd like to see pics from anyone living that far south of their in ground trees and what the leaves look like after those frigid days? Does anyone get any damage of their native trees or in ground citrus? Just curious.

All this talk or frigid air ad snow and yet no one is posting any pictures here but Steve. The damage can't that bad then? I thought there would be a lot more pcs of some here showing us what the cold as done and how it has affected their trees.

I'm taking the approach that this is the appropriate time of year to get Winter weather and get it over with. in 2020 our area had freezes in early to mid May, freezing new growth on trees. I find late freezes discouraging after the long wait for Spring. Having said that, warm, balmy weather always feels good, in season, or out of season.

To this point the mid-Atlantic Winter has not been severely cold, but has been quite consistent, with a lot of cloudiness. The low has only gotten down to 10 deg. F, which is quite mild.

-1F, 16 inches of snow and still snowing. Record breaking for my neck of the woods.

Seed grown Fukushu kumquat in greenhouse with 69 watt heater after 4F temps pass

Steve

"All this talk or frigid air ad snow and yet no one is posting any pictures here but Steve. The damage can't that bad then? I thought there would be a lot more pcs of some here showing us what the cold as done and how it has affected their trees."

Personally, I don't think I'd be running around taking and posting pics of my Citrus, frozen or otherwise, if it were 15 F. in my living room, pipes were bursting in the darkness, and having access to potable water was a major concern.

Phoenix, yup. I am hearing it's a lot worst than when I posted that. Poor people. Hopefully everyone is safe. That's the most important thing. Hopefully you are not affected there, unless that last sentence was saying you were?

No Meyer, everything is good here in NJ, we have power, in fact, I have been lucky over multiple years and my minimum has only been 15 F. despite the freakishly persistent snows! My detached, minimally heated, "cold" greenhouse for the Citrus is warmer than many Texas homes in fact. (We only seem to lose power in seasons other than winter.) Sorry if I sounded angry. This is/was just a disaster for Texas in so many ways, including the Citrus crop. Peace out, and g/d bless!

When I go out of town I turn the water off to the house. During cold season I even drain my pipes. Been doing it for more than 30 years. If I lost power I would get a supply of water and then drain the pipes. My electronic light gas stove can be light with a lighter. I am also set up to run a vent stack from my stove to heat my kitchen for a warm room just like the Amish. My water heater can heat water to 160F. Now for my citrus problem.

Massive Icicle over green house needs to be removed

Steve

Iceberg secured with ropes.

Lake forms between 2 layers of glass.

Hole drilled in window frame's edge to drain water.

Steve

Steve. Oh my god. You poor thing. Looks like you have it under control though. Geez. Is this the first time this has happened ? So much for warmer winters. Can’t even stay warm where it’s suppose to (

Steve - curious why you didn't just remove the icicles? From the bright green through the windows, I assume your trees made it through ok.

Phoenix , glad things are ok for you. Geez. Can’t wait for spring to roll in and stay.
No worries. I understand. It’s upsetting to me too. My friend list all his pigs and a couple of cows. I feel so bad. He ran out of propane and no electricity. Couldn’t keep the poor animals from freezing to death especially the poor pigs.
He ran out of fresh water to feed them so had to collect water from a pond. Crazy. We seemed to have just been on the cusp of this arctic air mass. The Far East including me were very lucky this winter. Even if we did get that cold we are capable of dealing with it because it belongs here not there. Praying for everyone.

We have had a persistent, deep, snow cover on the ground since the start of February, that's unusual here in NJ/Zone 7. Going down as one of the 10 snowiest Februarys ever. The only nice thing about it is how BRIGHT it is inside our homes, outside, the sun reflecting off of fields of snow gave me an early tan after all the shoveling. Now it seems to be all rain and temps headed up to 50 by midweek. Spring is one month away!

My iceberg has failed and the rope held it till I could swing it out of the way and drop it. The lake is now empty to.

Steve