January 2022
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The very cold temperatures that occurred across the region were not that unexpected this time of year, which is usually the coldest period in winter. But because of the very warm December and warmer than normal January in Georgia and Florida, many crops developed much earlier than usual, leaving them particularly vulnerable to the frost.…
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With just a couple of days left in the month, it’s time to take a look at January’s preliminary climate statistics. While most of the Southeast has been cooler than normal, Georgia and Florida will end up warmer than normal. This has contributed to their vulnerability to frost, since many plants are almost a month…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
The weather this winter has affected our fruit crops in a number of ways. Early October was relatively warm, so farmers who planted strawberries early in the month saw good growth, but later in the month and through November things were quite cold, so the berries did not grow much during that time period. Once…
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The latest 7-day QPF map shows that most of the rain this week should fall Tuesday through Friday in the western part of the region. This weekend will continue to be cold and dry, and a hard freeze is expected for areas all the way down into inland parts of southern Florida on Sunday morning…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
The hottest large city in the United States is Phoenix. In 2020, almost 200 people died from the extreme heat there. Because it is in a desert climate, the daytime temperatures can rocket upward, putting its citizens at extreme risk. Phoenix is using a variety of techniques to try to reduce the temperatures in the…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
This story is not really an agriculture or climate story, but it’s a very interesting look at how paleontologists determined the month in which a meteor crashed into the earth. This event led to the extinction of most dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The scientists did it by looking at fossils found in rocks created…
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I wrote yesterday about the potential two nights of frost that may cause problems in southern Georgia, Alabama, and Florida this weekend. The latest forecast shows just a slight improvement in overnight temperatures on Friday night into Saturday morning, with the cold air taking a bit longer to move into the region than was predicted…
Posted in: Climate outlooks