What's the Weather like Where You Are? It looks as though there may soon be serious storms in the southern United States that will move north. I hope folks are preparing for that.
Here, it has been a very mild Winter. I am tempted to go back and average daily temperatures for the most recent 3 weeks and compare to the 3 weeks preceding – into November. My guess is that recently, it is warmer through the recent weeks. And, we are once again having a day of rain. That's welcome and the snow levels at higher elevations locally are above average. That suggests good stream flow for our rivers well into the Summer months.
The remarkable thing is that this isn't snow here in my neighborhood. Thankfully, it isn't an ice storm.
Tell us how your weather is throughout the year. It is a very important determinant to garden success.
Steve
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We had a tiny bit of snow flurries just around sunset. DD and I happened to catch sight of it because we were closing blinds and curtains.
In spite of the dire predictions, so far the upcoming temperature drop forecast for this area hasn’t indicated as frigid cold as what we had recently. But the disproportionate changes in the temperatures are causing wind gusts strong enough to loosen the front panel poly for the Sunflower Hoophouse. I’ll have to try to secure them more tightly tomorrow….
In spite of the dire predictions, so far the upcoming temperature drop forecast for this area hasn’t indicated as frigid cold as what we had recently. But the disproportionate changes in the temperatures are causing wind gusts strong enough to loosen the front panel poly for the Sunflower Hoophouse. I’ll have to try to secure them more tightly tomorrow….
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I went out and shoveled the snow, and it wasn't as light and fluffy as they said it would be. Fortunately, I want on the deck, with the blower, to see if it worked, and since it didn't, I took the shovel out, along with the refilled calcium chloride. I also pushed the shovel down my neighbor's walk, since she's gone a few days. It was less than 2", so far, with little more coming - it's brightened up a little, actually, which is a good thing, as it should melt some of that stuff.
UD - Since it pretty much stopped snowing, and brightened up out there, I went back out and brushed all the snow off the car, so it won't turn to ice on it later.
UD - Since it pretty much stopped snowing, and brightened up out there, I went back out and brushed all the snow off the car, so it won't turn to ice on it later.
It rained last night. More than usual. It is cold for me. It is 76 degrees at 5:40 p.m. and very breezy. It is partially overcast, but most of the rain came overnight and during the day it was cool, partially overcast, and mostly sunny. I did not have to water today. I did check my pre bonsai. It is on a stand and it is under the eaves so the rain off the roof does not hit it. The cold front is going to stall near Kauai, so it may bring more intermittent showers over the next couple of days. I can see showers on the radar, but nothing over where I live, so it is raining somewhere, just not here right now. The low tonight will be on the warm side 69 degrees because the winds are coming from the south. The day temps up to 79 degrees.
It has been on the cooler side. It is currently 76 degrees at 5:12 p.m. It rained overnight.
Gary, your empty shelves are dramatic. We are impacted as well when there are extreme weather events and strikes on the mainland that affect the transport of goods. Over 90% of our food is shipped in. We have about an 11 day fresh food supply. Local farmers only provide about 8-10% of our food. If the goods don't get loaded on the barge, it may take one or two weeks before we will see it again. Some things like cat food may take two or three months. I have stocked up on things I use the most and I have more than a year supply of cat food. It is hard to go to the store to get a specific thing these days. I have to have a backup plan because not only is there a food affordability crisis, now there is often a food availability problem as well. I sometimes have to go to multiple stores to find what I want, and in some cases nobody has it.
At least when the weather gets better where you are, your stores can restock and you have more choices.
Gary, your empty shelves are dramatic. We are impacted as well when there are extreme weather events and strikes on the mainland that affect the transport of goods. Over 90% of our food is shipped in. We have about an 11 day fresh food supply. Local farmers only provide about 8-10% of our food. If the goods don't get loaded on the barge, it may take one or two weeks before we will see it again. Some things like cat food may take two or three months. I have stocked up on things I use the most and I have more than a year supply of cat food. It is hard to go to the store to get a specific thing these days. I have to have a backup plan because not only is there a food affordability crisis, now there is often a food availability problem as well. I sometimes have to go to multiple stores to find what I want, and in some cases nobody has it.
At least when the weather gets better where you are, your stores can restock and you have more choices.
Well Gary, there have been colder Winter temperatures in Tennessee than here at 48°North latitude in the foothills of the Rockies.
It was 25°f (-4°C) this morning for the coldest of the Winter season. It hasn't been this cold since the 2th December. The month of December was nearly 5°f average temperature above normal and we are close to that this month. We hit 50°f (10°C) once in December and 40°f (4°C) once in January. These weren't close to daily records because there have been so many hours of clouds, clouds, clouds through these months.
Fortunately, that has meant that rainfall has been above average and mountain snow pack, as well. However, the temperature is quite remarkable – I have seen below zero Fahrenheit in November in past years. The last few days of December and the first days of January are normally the coldest of the year – didn't happen this time around. Our 10 degrees below zero (-23C) coldest day for 2024 was way back on 13 January 2024. Maybe our coldest day this Winter will be late January but the Weather Service isn't predicting anything especially cold. Strange strange, I really hope this doesn't mean that we will have a scorching Summer. We had less than 1/3rd of an inch of rain sum total (!) for the months of July, August and September in 2024 with LOTS of heat. Wildfires weren't so bad but ...
And, that uses up my quota for ... digitS'
It was 25°f (-4°C) this morning for the coldest of the Winter season. It hasn't been this cold since the 2th December. The month of December was nearly 5°f average temperature above normal and we are close to that this month. We hit 50°f (10°C) once in December and 40°f (4°C) once in January. These weren't close to daily records because there have been so many hours of clouds, clouds, clouds through these months.
Fortunately, that has meant that rainfall has been above average and mountain snow pack, as well. However, the temperature is quite remarkable – I have seen below zero Fahrenheit in November in past years. The last few days of December and the first days of January are normally the coldest of the year – didn't happen this time around. Our 10 degrees below zero (-23C) coldest day for 2024 was way back on 13 January 2024. Maybe our coldest day this Winter will be late January but the Weather Service isn't predicting anything especially cold. Strange strange, I really hope this doesn't mean that we will have a scorching Summer. We had less than 1/3rd of an inch of rain sum total (!) for the months of July, August and September in 2024 with LOTS of heat. Wildfires weren't so bad but ...
And, that uses up my quota for ... digitS'
Why, if I hate winter so much am I still living in the mid-west? There are places I would rather be right now but we are too old to uproot to the ideal location. The decision was made many years ago to stay where we are, tough it out for a couple months and just stay indoors during the worst of it. My basement growing area is more than ready for March.
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It got breezy out there later today, and the humidity lifted, so it wasn't unpleasant, even though it was hotter than yesterday (got to 86°). It's still 77° at 9:30 pm, which is about the average high for this time of year, but the humidity is down to 40%, while last night it was in the 90s. Tomorrow will be cooler, and less humid, so I'll get more done out there!
Well, it has been raining for the last few days. Not a lot, mostly overnight or convection rain in the afternoon. Enough to keep the ground wet and the weeds growing, but not enough to water some of my containers. Their canopies keep the rain out of the pot. Actually, it is warming up some with the temperatures 80-82 degrees and overnight. Night temperatures are 68-72. We are ENSO neutral so we are warmer than usual for the year, but actually cooler and wetter for May than usual. The plants are blooming out of season.
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Weather is crazy these days. We had Feb 15° to 80°. March 20° to 85°. April 20s to 80s. May 50s to 90s. Melon seeds FINALLY germinated yesterday in full sun for 2 days. Tornadoes almost every day.applestar wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 6:26 amIt’s MAY 20th — a month before Summer Solstice and more than a week after Mother’s Day — all my freeze • cold sensitive and semi-tropical container plants have been moved outside in the Great Annual Spring Migration … and IT’S 45°F OUT THERE THIS MORNING![]()
What do you think @imafan? Too cold?
I was encouraged to set out warm-season plants early because of sunny, warm afternoons. Then, the clouds showed up.
For about a week it has not been warm. Sprinkles of moisture sometimes fall from those clouds but we remain below normal for May and for Spring. Clear skies during hours of darkness and the temperature drops.
We have had one recent night (Sunday) the thermometer dropped below 40⁰f (4⁰C) and there were wind gusts above 20mph. I had pulled the buckets out and plants were covered. The buckets are standing by although it is currently 42⁰f (6⁰C) at 6AM and they might have appreciated being covered. Tomorrow morning, we are supposed to be back below 40f ... hopefully, not so much wind !
Steve
For about a week it has not been warm. Sprinkles of moisture sometimes fall from those clouds but we remain below normal for May and for Spring. Clear skies during hours of darkness and the temperature drops.
We have had one recent night (Sunday) the thermometer dropped below 40⁰f (4⁰C) and there were wind gusts above 20mph. I had pulled the buckets out and plants were covered. The buckets are standing by although it is currently 42⁰f (6⁰C) at 6AM and they might have appreciated being covered. Tomorrow morning, we are supposed to be back below 40f ... hopefully, not so much wind !
Steve
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It's cool here for the time of year, and the time of the day - still 58° at 11:30 am, despite a very sunny morning, which usually warms it up quickly. Supposed to get up to 71° - several degrees cooler than average, but the next two days aren't supposed to get out of the 50s all day! I put off planting some more peppers, and all of the okra, until it gets a little warmer, though it doesn't get back to average in any of the 10 day forecast. Some more rain is coming the next two days.
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It is 78 degrees now at 10:40 a.m. It is definitely moving into summer. The days are getting longer and the temperature is creeping up week by week. The forecast for this week are highs of 81-83 and lows 68-69 degrees. We have been having intermittent cold fronts coming from the West most of the are above us but parts dip down and drop rain and interfere with the trades. It brings more rain to the leeward sides of the islands and brings up moisture from the south and those also bring intermittent rain. Not a lot, but enough for the weeds to grow abundantly.
Yesterday was the first sunny day in a long while. It has been partly cloudy for weeks with either rain overnight or in the late afternoon. The rains are later than normal this year. We are in an ENSO neutral year and hurricane season begins on June 1. We are expecting a normal hurricane season. I think most of the stormy weather is hitting the continental states instead.
Yesterday was the first sunny day in a long while. It has been partly cloudy for weeks with either rain overnight or in the late afternoon. The rains are later than normal this year. We are in an ENSO neutral year and hurricane season begins on June 1. We are expecting a normal hurricane season. I think most of the stormy weather is hitting the continental states instead.
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Yesterday was the hottest day of 2025, 88⁰f (31⁰C). Too soon for so much heat, so we had a break from it with clouds, way too much wind (gusts to 30mph) and it briefly sprinkled rain, today.
Tomorrow, back to hot Springtime weather with calmer air movement, we are told.
I watered by hand and ran sprinklers everywhere yesterday evening and today. I was even out there when the clouds sprinkled on me. Oh, my! The plants didn't need any more stress. The garden suffered from too much wind in the Spring of 2024 which especially set back the tomatoes. I can hope that this won't happen this year.
Drought? We have had the benefit of above normal snow pack in higher elevations through the Winter. If nothing else, this means that our aquifer was well charged this Spring.
Steve
Tomorrow, back to hot Springtime weather with calmer air movement, we are told.
I watered by hand and ran sprinklers everywhere yesterday evening and today. I was even out there when the clouds sprinkled on me. Oh, my! The plants didn't need any more stress. The garden suffered from too much wind in the Spring of 2024 which especially set back the tomatoes. I can hope that this won't happen this year.
Drought? We have had the benefit of above normal snow pack in higher elevations through the Winter. If nothing else, this means that our aquifer was well charged this Spring.
Steve
Record highest temperature tied Monday at 94°f (34⁰C). A new record was set yesterday at 92⁰f. Previous highs for both days were from 1934.
I had the air conditioner ready for afternoons only but have indoors down to "room temperature" just using fans and some open windows each morning, at this time of year. By 9AM, I imagine that it will be above that temperature outdoors and I will close windows and close off several rooms.
Cooling down some is the prediction, thankfully. Water flow in the nearby river is already below normal after normal Winter snow pack in the mountains. The weather just heated up too early and melting occurred quickly.
Maybe we will have some rain but, hey, it amounting to much would be unusual for Spring 2025. Fingers crossed ...
Steve
I had the air conditioner ready for afternoons only but have indoors down to "room temperature" just using fans and some open windows each morning, at this time of year. By 9AM, I imagine that it will be above that temperature outdoors and I will close windows and close off several rooms.
Cooling down some is the prediction, thankfully. Water flow in the nearby river is already below normal after normal Winter snow pack in the mountains. The weather just heated up too early and melting occurred quickly.
Maybe we will have some rain but, hey, it amounting to much would be unusual for Spring 2025. Fingers crossed ...
Steve
It rained this morning. It has been a couple of weeks. It was breezy yesterday. Temperatures are rising now. It is 71 degrees now at 5:53 a.m. It looks like there will be some isolated showers this week and that will keep the temperatures down a bit. It will average 83/71. Last week it was a couple of degrees higher 84-85 degrees and hazy from the volcano. Visible air pollution in Hawaii is usually from the volcano or fireworks. Otherwise we don't really have a lot of air pollution. The trades blow it out to sea.
Our longest day is coming up on June 20, 2025. Sunrise at 5:55 a.m. Sunset 7:16 p.m. Total daylight hours 13 hours 25 minutes and 52 seconds.
The hottest months are also coming up June- October with the hottest being August-October because the Pacific High moves away from us and we have more Kona weather which brings up warmer air from the south. We lose the trades so it feels even muggier. It is also the peak time for us for Hurricane season. Average temperatures then could be 88-91 with night temperatures hovering around 80 degrees. We only have an average 10-12 degree temperature difference between day and night. This is from the influence of the ocean that moderates the variation of temperatures. This is an ENSO neutral year, so it will be cooler than an El Nino but warmer than La Nina.
Our longest day is coming up on June 20, 2025. Sunrise at 5:55 a.m. Sunset 7:16 p.m. Total daylight hours 13 hours 25 minutes and 52 seconds.
The hottest months are also coming up June- October with the hottest being August-October because the Pacific High moves away from us and we have more Kona weather which brings up warmer air from the south. We lose the trades so it feels even muggier. It is also the peak time for us for Hurricane season. Average temperatures then could be 88-91 with night temperatures hovering around 80 degrees. We only have an average 10-12 degree temperature difference between day and night. This is from the influence of the ocean that moderates the variation of temperatures. This is an ENSO neutral year, so it will be cooler than an El Nino but warmer than La Nina.