Posted on 01/09/2010 6:38:57 PM PST by justa-hairyape
Florida orange growers are bracing for possible crop damage as an arctic blast plunges temperatures to record lows Saturday and Sunday nights.
Sleet and snow mixed with rain has been reported Saturday from the Tampa Bay area to near and north of Orlando, the first time snow or sleet has occurred in west-central Florida since Jan. 8, 1996, the National Weather Service in Tampa said.
The immediate Tampa Bay area hasn't seen snow since Dec. 23, 1989.
While citrus growers fared well on Friday night as temperatures remained above critical levels in the heart of the citrus belt, worries are intensifying as a strong high pressure system bears down on the area.
The NWS has issued a freeze warning for much of central and southern Florida from 9 p.m. EST Saturday to 9 a.m. EST on Sunday, meaning temperatures are expected to dip from 27 F to 32 F for three or more hours over a widespread area.
Citrus sustains damage when the mercury falls below 28 degrees Fahrenheit for three or more hours.
"We will undoubtedly suffer some damage to this season's crop tomorrow [Sunday] a.m. and again on Monday a.m.," said Fran Becker, president of Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual and vice president of fruit procurement for Peace River Citrus Products Inc. in Arcadia, Fla.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
its 31 already in Seminole cty here, the citrus belt is just a couple counties south and stands to get hurt real big.
Good thing we’ve been sequestering all that CO2, no?
The Plague of the Cold.
What we need is for Al Gore to be there to give a global warming pep rally! Maybe if he bilks more bucks from the willing, the orange crop will be safe? sarc/off
Florida's main citrus belt lies south of the Interstate 4 corridor that runs from Tampa Bay on the gulf side of the state, through Orlando and up to Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Coast.
Well, dann it -- find all the local mercury and start heating it!!!! Gotta keep the Hg above 28F!
...this kind of freeze has been happening all my life...it’s part of being a Florida citrus farmer.
I got my ficus tree covered.
I wish Fla. orange-growers the best. I make sure that I buy their product.
What county are you located in ?
At Home Depot you could only find pictures of space heaters, telling customers they could order the product online. They had chimney cleaners, but were out of fire wood and Duraflame® logs.
It’s cold as all get-out here in St Agustine. I have had to break out all the stuff I moved from the North, combined with things that I wear in Europe in the winter.
This is bad. Our houses aren’t ready for it, and neither are we! Our poor little lizards are dying - that may sound silly, but they’re typical of this place, and seeing them frozen on the ground is very upsetting. I’d rather see Al Gore frozen into a block of ice somewhere soon.
Orange Tree Peril Bump. Maybe throw a blanket or tarp over it and light a few large candles?
FYI - Key West reported its coldest day in 112 years. 47 F. 8.3 C.
Record freeze in Florida (warning posted for MIAMI, iguanas drop from trees)
“...this kind of freeze has been happening all my life...it’s part of being a Florida citrus farmer.”
Up in Iowa, they are planning to take the citrus industry from you. Global warming has everyone excited about diversifying away from corn and soybeans, and into oranges.
Texas power usage record is set during cold wave
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the grid operator for most of the state, reported a winter record of 55,856 megawatts Friday between 7 and 8 a.m. to erase the previous high of 52,001 set just 12 hours previously between 7 and 8 p.m. Thursday.
Are all of them definitely dead? With a cold-blooded creature it might be more difficult to tell. Any chance some might thaw out of it?
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