MikeC wrote:Seems to me, whether natural or man made, the climate in Europe is changing to bitterly cold winters, but mixed with record breaking warm spring and autumn periods.
A lot more effort (in time and money heating plants) is required to get them through winters now. More like the Canadians in terms of building semi-permanent frost protection structures and lots of rope lights on everything.
I had summer bedding flowering in the end of January. It's just exeptional situation this time because this cold wave is going to be very unique in history when it's finished. The last three winters where colder then we got used to but not cold enough to lost plants or need to protect Trachycarpus. However it just depending on what you where growing of course. Specially in the more western area's that is not needed. The whole situation now is also not similair to the last three winters. A visit from the russian bear to the lower countries on this size is quite rare. On the first place this incredible cold wave started as a ordinairy frost period here and on the cards but evolved in something huge.
So this winter started as we normal known, mild (A little to mild) and with some frost. If next winter will be much colder again then we got used to, we have to think about something like you said. If that would be new truth then it's also for me with exotics in Holland. Somewhere I've a dream to emigrate too a warmer country so I will plant new stuff later then. However of course I do hope you are wrong
Bizarre sight here, never got so many "tents" in the garden during a winter then this one. I had 3 cm of snow but because the stronger sunshine it's melting slow even with freezing temperatures. So I scrap the snow together for around the truncs from plants to "unfreeze" the ground. Well at least the sun is here..
Exotic Life wrote:During sunrise the sky got clear with means the temperature dropped like a stone to -8.2C as minimum. The whole night the temperatures where between the -5 and -6 because the clouds.
Incredible to see that this morning the middle of Holland dropped to -15C and more again. At this moment it's still -10C over there and it's almost 12.00 hour! I do see another -20C and -15C on large scale coming tonight when it's clear from the beginning till the end. There will be not more palm or exotic garden freaks left this year after this I guess. I don't think some people in those incredible cold area's will start over again.
Minimum temperatuur 05-02-2012.png
Quite special is the relative humidity since the frost period started. On some moments left the RV is mostly between the 30% and 45%. That's very dry for us normally but it will be a side effect from this situation.
Thats not possible..... the only logical explanation is that the website was downloading data from same data as min temps on the GFS on the 00Z run as Stephen pointed out.
Exotic Life wrote:During sunrise the sky got clear with means the temperature dropped like a stone to -8.2C as minimum. The whole night the temperatures where between the -5 and -6 because the clouds.
Incredible to see that this morning the middle of Holland dropped to -15C and more again. At this moment it's still -10C over there and it's almost 12.00 hour! I do see another -20C and -15C on large scale coming tonight when it's clear from the beginning till the end. There will be not more palm or exotic garden freaks left this year after this I guess. I don't think some people in those incredible cold area's will start over again.
The attachment Minimum temperatuur 05-02-2012.png is no longer available
Quite special is the relative humidity since the frost period started. On some moments left the RV is mostly between the 30% and 45%. That's very dry for us normally but it will be a side effect from this situation.
Thats not possible..... the only logical explanation is that the website was downloading data from same data as min temps on the GFS on the 00Z run as Stephen pointed out.
What do you mean with it's not possible. That temperatures are recorded this morning and going to be recorded tonight as well. It always fall a few degrees with sunrise so also this morning. Temperature is dropping already again with Lelystad ahead with just below the -8C at the moment. The coldest temperature on amateurstations was the place Swifterbant with -16.9C as minimum at 08:34 this morning.
Maximum temperatures today. I had some effort from the microclimate in the garden I guess because I came to -0.4C as maximum.
It feels like like one step forward three steps back, with the forecasts. Now the model suggestion is the freeze lasting for the foreseeable future, GFS now showing sub zero temperature beyond 7 days.
In this situation even very hardy garden plants like Fatsia, Euonymus and Rhododendron would struggle to survive, never mind exotic plants.
Getting very irritating now, and to kick start it, a harsh frost tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the weekend, close to -7 or -8C.
I have a feeling eventually this will surpass December 2010.
Usually I would be against this kind of thing.. but I would not say no to someone chemically altering the atmosphere to get rid of this b******* high.
stephenprudence wrote:It feels like like one step forward three steps back, with the forecasts. Now the model suggestion is the freeze lasting for the foreseeable future, GFS now showing sub zero temperature beyond 7 days.
Stephen lets wait for the 12Z , but I know what you mean. Its horrible. The longer it goes on the greater potential for cold, and with the wind direction where forecast now it can get colder ,north east is a lot worse than east for the UK.
I think most of the UK has got away with it until now but I am really starting to worry, a north easterly from the arctic on top of this will be really serious.
and perhaps lower too, tonight could be -8C potentially.. this would be unheard of. When we have a period of bad winters (below -5C), they are usually broken up by mild winters, with maybe a minimum that winter of -1 to -3C
stephenprudence wrote:It feels like like one step forward three steps back, with the forecasts. Now the model suggestion is the freeze lasting for the foreseeable future, GFS now showing sub zero temperature beyond 7 days.
Stephen lets wait for the 12Z , but I know what you mean. Its horrible. The longer it goes on the greater potential for cold, and with the wind direction where forecast now it can get colder ,north east is a lot worse than east for the UK.
I think most of the UK has got away with it until now but I am really starting to worry, a north easterly from the arctic on top of this will be really serious.
At a week out signs are for a north or north easterly to set in although it could be quick moving west to east. If it slips slowly south down the east coast though then we will see plenty of snow and some serious overnight cold. I'm starting to look at those emigrating down under websites again!
Most wanted list - Any Young Trachycarpus and/or fern.
Cold or not... some of you are still so lucky compared last night in Holland. Those possible milder temperatures coming sunday are coming too late! Specially because before that there are another few incredible cold nights to come.
