Posted on 01/13/2007 6:06:57 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(CBS) SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Weather Service said it expected temperatures to hit record lows Friday night into Saturday morning across much of California as an arctic blast delivered rare snowfalls in low-lying southern cities and put the state's citrus industry on alert.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a State of Emergency citing "conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property ... as a result of extreme low temperatures and freezing conditions" that were expected for a second-straight night. Forecasters said the mercury Friday night would plunge even lower than it had Thursday night.
A Freeze Warning was in effect around the Bay Area from Friday midnight to 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Weather Service predicted temperatures would drop down to about 20 degrees Friday night in Napa and Santa Rosa, while in San Francisco forecasters expected temperatures to drop just below freezing.
As part of the governor's emergency declaration, the California National Guard opened five additional armories as temporary warming facilities in communities statewide. The Guard had operated 13 such shelters on Thursday night.
The California Highway Patrol boosted nighttime patrols to assist motorists who might become stranded in the cold, while state agriculture officials were checking for damage to the state's citrus crop.
The cold weather is threatening the nearly $1 billion worth of oranges, tangerines and lemons that have not been picked yet.
"If it gets below 25 degrees for six hours or more we could have substantial damage to the citrus industry," said A.J. Yates, California's agriculture undersecretary.
In the San Joaquin Valley, farmers scrambled to protect citrus fruit still on the trees; growers were using huge fans to circulate the air and keep the temperatures a little warmer in the fields.
About 75 percent of the citrus crop is still on trees, but its "slightly more mature" than it was in 1998, when cold weather cost significant crop losses. Older fruit is a little more resistant to cold temperatures, Yates said.
But the cold weather was not bad news for everyone.
In the inland region east of Los Angeles, children enjoyed playing in the snowfall that coated parts of Redland, Chino, Fontana, Upland and Rancho Cucamonga. And in the Sierra at the Homewood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, the blistering wind didn't stop skiers from hitting the slopes.
Ute Gacs, who was skiing with her husband Peter, looked up to the top of the mountain and said, "We'll go out and maybe have a hot chocolate. Or maybe it's better to have a Schnapps."
LOL! Is that Arnie as Mr Freeze or whatever his name was in that really bad batman movie?
Global warming strikes again.
It is 14 degrees outside here right now.
That's unusual...
Let's not make the same mistake as the lefties. Weather is not climate.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
You guys can't handle 25 degree weather? That's a heat wave here in Wisconsinstan.
Global Warming Ideology (like all ideologies) is extremely robust with respect to data.
Make that a hot buttered rum, and I'll point my longskis downhill and schuss some couloirs! Yee-ha!
Its 3 degrees outside here in Spokane Valley, I'll have to add extra layers to stay warm on top of Mt Spokane today...
Our pipes aren't buried 6' down in the ground... When the temperature stays in the teens for many hours we starting have "issues"...
Are you in Northern or Southern Calif. ?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
It is so ironic. We were just declared a Global Warming State, not a few weeks ago. Now we are in the deepest freeze of a century. hahahahha. It is truly the Lord's answer. And so timely.
Ok, let's not. The climate (and the weather too) has been changing for millions of years, and the most recent changes in the last hundred years or so, if in fact it has been changing, probably have a lot more to do with natural cycles, solar activity, cosmic rays, volcanic dust expulsions, etc, than with human-caused greenhouse gas emission and consequent influence on the atmosphere. There, I'm not making the same mistake as the lefties.
Last week when the East coast hit record highs every major TV network had extensive stories on how this maybe the result of our changing climate.
We used to live in Whittier. You have no idea what humidity is like until you live in Tenn. Wet, wet, and wet all of the time.
three oranges freeze,
and the whole state has a panic attack.
what a bunch of pussies
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Where is FEMA? People are cold, pipes are freezing! They should have been there a week ago, ready to fire up the portable gas heaters, passing out coats and gloves! Illegal aliens are suffering. Oh, my, oh, my! What are they going to do? Let's herd them into some large building and crank up the heat.
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