Pam Knox

  • In spite of what seemed like very cold temperatures over the winter, the April-like temperatures we experienced across the Southeast in February have left us well above normal in temperature for the year so far. February 2018 was the warmest February on record for Georgia and all of the Southeastern states. Precipitation has been less…

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  • I’ve been asked by a number of people what are our chances for getting a frost in the next couple of weeks after this tremendously warm weather we’ve been experiencing. I think that for the southern 2/3 of Georgia, we may have already seen our last frost of the year, but I do expect to…

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  • I’ve posted a summary of the 2017 year in climate for Georgia and surrounding areas as well as an outlook for the coming growing season on my blog at https://site.extension.uga.edu/climate/2018/02/a-look-back-at-2017-and-the-outlook-for-2018/. Overall I think things look promising for growing grapes in the coming growing season, with drier conditions reducing the likely impact of fungal diseases and…

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  • Weather, climate and wine

    Global Weather & Climate Center has a good short summary article about the impacts that weather and climate have on wine production. It is a compilation of information from Forbes, Journal of Wine Economics, the Denver Post, and Earth magazine. If you have things to add that you think were left out, I’d love to…

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  • Look for frost early next week

    The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City has put out a preliminary frost/freeze warning for Monday morning. You can follow more information at https://www.weather.gov/ffc/. If you are in far northeastern Georgia, then you are actually in the Greenville-Spartanburg NWS office’s region and you can get information from them at https://www.weather.gov/gsp/. If you are farther south towards…

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  • Where to get forecasts for frost

    In a blog post earlier this week I provided some links to sources of information on historical frost dates across the country. Today I want to provide you with some links to help you find current forecasts for frost.  It looks like to me that we are likely to see our first scattered frost in…

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  • Wine and weather in the news

    For those of you who follow national and international trends in wine grapes and wine production, you may be interested in some recent articles I have seen on the impacts of weather on wine production both here in the US and abroad. One of the biggest stories, of course, has been the destruction of several…

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  • The latest outlook for winter is now available from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Short answer: warmer and drier than usual conditions are more likely than usual due to the impending La Niña. I break it down in my blog post at https://site.extension.uga.edu/climate/2017/10/latest-climate-outlook-shows-impact-from-la-nina/.  

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  • Fall freeze climatologies

    Looking for average first frost dates for fall?  I have just posted a list of several sources that can help you identify the average first fall frost date for your area on my blog at https://site.extension.uga.edu/climate/2017/10/fall-freeze-climatologies/. Later this week I will discuss some places you can go to see current frost forecasts. Keep in mind that…

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  • A new tropical depression has formed off the coast of Nicaragua and is expected to move north and strengthen over the next few days. Once it reaches tropical storm status, it will be called Nate. Models of the storm’s path indicate a high probability that it will move over parts of the Southeast by this…

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