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andyandy_gw

screaching halt to summer

andyandy
11 years ago

90s over and now we are barely hitting 70. There is no hint on a 90 degree day in the 10 day forecast. In fact when all of this rain ends and it gets nice again were talking highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. I was ready for a cool down but not this. the palms go from optimum growing conditions to dormant in 24 hours. Ah that is Michigan for you.

Comments (22)

  • wetsuiter
    11 years ago

    We're still in the low to mid 80s for highs and mostly low to mid 70s for lows in our 10 day forecast, with two 69's for lows on days 9 and 10. But we just got the best rain of the summer! And hour and half of heavy rain that tapered off to a steady rain. I'm looking forward to a break in humidity and cooler nights so I can finally turn off the air conditioning. By August 15, I feel like we're over the summer worst just like passing February 15 in winter.

  • subtropix
    11 years ago

    Heavy rain now, temperature 86 f., dew point 74 with heat index at 94. This rain took forever to finally get here. See highs in mid 80's with sun and lows between 69-72 after fronts go through. Hopefully, they will go through, they have a nasty habit of stalling near the coast this time of year. Don't want to go from moderate-slight drought to flooding! Humidity has been ridiculous lately-- I can deal with upper 90's much better!

  • jimhardy
    11 years ago

    They say(again)as they have said many times before that we may get some rain Sunday...we'll see.

    Definitely cooled down..in fact,down right chilly feeling
    after so much heat-nice not to be a prisoner in your own house,
    locked up in the A.C. until safe to go outside...


  • chadec
    11 years ago

    We still have 90's in the forecast, but mostly upper 80's. I'll take that over those 100's.

  • andyandy
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I was hoping for a month of mid 80s anfd mid 60s at night, I would still see growth and be able to give the AC a break.

  • LagoMar
    11 years ago

    Interesting convo here. Does it really take 90's to grow palms fast? i don't think it does. windmills for example are native to high altitudes. Many tropical areas rarely exceed 90. they sit in the 80's most of the time. Research shows that palms grow very little in fall and winter months, even in the tropics. I think amount of sunlight and daylight has more to do with it than hot temps. As long as your soil is warm and you get plenty of light and depending on the type a lot of moisture, you should still get plenty of growth.

  • subtropix
    11 years ago

    I agree with Lago, in my opinion, most palms would love a world where the highs max out in the 80's and mins hover around 70 (or maybe it's just me). Mine seem stunted in very high heat. Maybe, an important consideration here in reatively high , minimum/LOW temps. Some areas of the country only achieve these warmish minimums in heat waves, other, more humid, coastal areas experience them outside of heat waves with high max temps. I believe plants do most of their growth at night, so might make sense. Then there are those that really prefer it cooler to grow--for example, Trachycarpus.

  • RichardC7
    11 years ago

    It's 79 here and pittsburgh, and tonight it will be in the 60's! blah! hopefully we will have a warm winter!

  • RichardC7
    11 years ago

    I meant in Pittsburgh

  • jimhardy
    11 years ago

    Palms

    Trachys IME love 50/90F temps.

    If you can get temps in the high 90s and lows around 80F with
    high humidity and heavy rain you can watch your banana plants grow.

    Mine(Bananas) have always loved the heat and grown so fast in it/until the drought started...

    One the other hand if you look at my Washy,I am not sure
    it could ever get to hot for it here as long as it has water....
    true of my Bizzy and Encephalartos Princeps too..to name a few.......

  • LagoMar
    11 years ago

    Desert palms like Washies will understandably enjoy the higher temps.

  • jimhardy
    11 years ago

    Hey,I thought I just said that(-;

  • jimhardy
    11 years ago

    Looks as though temps will continue to cool during the month of August-

    This was the last paragraph of the forecasters discussion-my area.

    In wake
    of front on Friday into next weekend expect unseasonably cool air with
    near record to record cool temperatures possible. Highs could possibly
    struggle to hit 70 some areas on Friday and maybe even Sat while lows
    well down in the 40s with possibly some u30s in favored cold drainage
    locations. Next anomalously deep trough suggested by middle-late portion
    of week of 8/19 - 8/25 with yet another shot of cool air and good
    rain chances. Overall it appears we are in the midst of a truly remarkable
    shift in the upper air pattern /reversal of fortune/.

  • wetsuiter
    11 years ago

    Even after the rain today, its 77 at midnight. Yuck.

    Agree with Lago. You don't need super high temps for palm growth. Windmills can actually shut down growth if temperatures are excessive. Places like San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco have amazing palms with summer high temps averaging in 70s. I think palms prefer steady temperatures to extreme variations.

  • tropicalzone7
    11 years ago

    Same here wetsuiter, we got a ton of rain here today, but despite that we still managed a high temperature of 85F and at 2am a temperature of 76F (with a dew point of 74F so all the windows are fogging up). I personally really like this weather and the plants do too. This time of the year has the best weather for growing tropicals in my areas. Night are still in the 70s, but day temperatures arent in the upper 90s anymore and day temperatures are generally in the mid 80s to low 90s which is good weather for the tropicals.
    Unfortunately there are some hints of the weather cooling down in the 10 day forecast. Still 80 and up every day, but the forecast is hinting that fall is on it's way even though we still have a few weeks of consistently hot weather left. Hopefully summer will last as long as possible, I plan on enjoying whats left of it as much as possible! And hopefully winter will be short because I REALLY hate winter!
    -Alex

  • jimhardy
    11 years ago

    I remember a day a couple years ago when we were getting rain still....got up to 90+,the it rained,went up to 90 again,then rained again and got back to 90.

    We had over 60" of rain May/Oct,we have had around 7" since May and May 2 was the last time we had over an inch-1.29"

  • aloyzius
    11 years ago

    Man, I feel for you. I moved to Tampa from salt lake city a while back, so I don't experience that anymore. But the end of summer was always very hard on me. I hope you guys appreciate the four seasons more than I did.

  • wetsuiter
    11 years ago

    I love the four seasons. Actually I hate the extreme heat and humidity of July far more than January. Our winters aren't that bad historically. Not much extreme cold and usually minimal snow. Last two seasons we got almost no snow. Unlike Alex, I look forward to the end of summer. The tourist crowds thin and we have our best weather from September through Christmas.

  • subtropix
    11 years ago

    Well, now with 'extreme weather' who knows what the next season will bring?! -- More record heat or another October snowstorm? I also like the autumn. June, July and August, I use my top (shaded deck). I can't use my larger backyard, patio area until at least September--just a very hot microclimate in back with backtop and reflected heat with unobstructed, southern exposure all day. That's where all the date palms go. I don't mind the dry heat, at least you can work outside but when it turns humid, I just stay in air conditioning. I always say, come September and October when everybody is back at work and school, we have the most beautiful weather of the year! Then there's 'Indian Summer' (or is that non-P.C.?). December is dark and dreary but if I make it to January, I know I'm good for another year. I love snowstorms and don't mind the cold (above 20. F), it's the dark that I hate. Guess that makes sense being a Leo. ;)

  • LagoMar
    11 years ago

    I enjoy the 4 seasons as well,especially if winter is as mild as last (26f for the low), but where the poster of this string lives the summers are too short and winters too long. I prefer the opposite. Long summers and short, mild winters. No snow except when visiting relatives in New York state for the holidays.

  • subtropix
    11 years ago

    My grandmother left 9 months of winter for 9 months of 'summer'. Never heard her voice ANY regrets!

  • LagoMar
    11 years ago

    Interestingly, summer may be on hiatus here for a while too. The next week is all 80's (several low 80's), no 90's predicted. This would be the first time since May a week w/ no 90's. Usually August is pretty hot (avg high 88F). Maybe a down month before a warm September?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Virginia Beach Weather