Weekly Weather Report
For Farmers and Others
Week of March 23, 2015
From Friendship Farms & Fare
A Community Service To the Local Farming Community
73 degrees at 4:30 AM, March 23, 2015
Weekly Weather Report
What Happened to Winter – Continued?
Historic Average (for 3/20): 77 HIGH, 59 LOW–Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/
Weekly Weather Report
Spring Arrives with Above Normal Heat
Vernal Equinox, April 20
68 degrees at 3:00 AM, March 20, 2015
Last Week (3/14-3/20): We had another week of above normal temperatures – 81 degrees or higher every day. The lows were even further above normal than the highs, running in the mid to upper 60s all week.
TV weather reporters continue to claim these temperatures are “not unusual for this time of year.” So far, in March, 18 of 20 days have been above normal, with several days 10 degrees or more above normal.
True, an occasional 80-degree day in March is not unusual. What is unusual is a run of days above 80, and some in the 90s. The lows are even higher above norms than the highs. Average low for early March is mid-50s, and we’ve been in the mid-60s to low 70s. In other words, our lows are about as high as our average highs.
The highest high for last week at WU was 84 (3/18 and 20). The lowest high was 81 (3/17). The highest low was 69 (3/19) and lowest low was 64 (3/17). Seven of seven days were above normal for highs (all at or above 81 degrees), and all were also above normal for lows. Our average high for this time of the year is 76-77 and our average low is 58-59.
This Week (3/21-3/27): We can expect another week of temperatures well above normal. Look for highs above 80 degrees every day this week. If this occurs, we’ll have a run of 20 straight days at 80 degrees or higher. As was the case, last week, these temperatures are well above normal for this time of the year, and more typical of late April and early May, not mid-March.
There is a possibility of a cool front near the end of the week.
Rain is expected on Monday and possibly on Thursday. Monday’s rain is ahead of a very weak cool front.
Looking Ahead: Although Spring has just arrived (see below), we are still in Florida’s dry and cold season. Rainfall averages are creeping upward (like the temperatures). Historic norms indicate cool and dry conditions through March, although we are not running true to form on this. Dry conditions will require more frequent irrigation. The rainy season is still months away.
Average temperatures are gradually rising. By the end of March averages will be in the upper-70s for highs and upper-50s for lows.
Freeze season is over, with last week being the latest date for a recorded freeze in this area – March 5, 1893 the temperature reached 32 degrees. There are no recorded freezes for any date for the rest of the year, until November. On November 16, 1940, the low was 31 degrees.
Averages are not good guides, and we are currently running above historical averages, but with rather dramatic fluctuations. We reached or exceeded 80 degrees four times in January, but not once in February. Already in March we’ve reached or exceeded 80 degrees five times. Readers will notice spring flowers appearing, well ahead of schedule. This means the winter vegetables may also flower early and bolt – if the warm weather continues.
A New Season Arrived March 20. Spring arrived on Friday. This is the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are of equal duration. Since the winter solstice (in December), the days have been getting longer (having more sunlight). Day and night are now equal. Daylight will continue to lengthen until the Summer Solstice (the “longest” day of the year) in June. Thereafter, the days begin to shorten.
Historic Average (for 3/19): 77 HIGH, 59 LOW–Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/
Historically, the average high temperature is now 77 degrees (seven degrees higher than the lowest average low [70] of the year), and thirteen degrees lower than the highest average high [90]). Our average low is now 59 degrees, which is eight degrees higher than lowest average low [51], and seventeen degrees lower than the highest average low [76]).
The average low and high are increasing at about a degree a week. They will peak in early June for highs and late June for lows, and remain constant (at 90/76) until early September, when the annual decline begins. This means for three months the average high will be 90 degrees, and the average low will be 76. It will also be humid during those months.
Note: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that 2014 was the hottest year on record (since records have been kept, 1880). Ocean and land temperatures were at their all time highs. This has also been the warmest winter on record in the Arctic .
This is no great surprise to us. 2014 seemed hotter than usual here at the farms, and the past few years, our highs and lows have typically run a bit higher than historic averages. Last year the trend continued, and so far this year, it is still continuing. Although humans may enjoy unseasonably warm weather, above normal temperatures stress the winter crops, which flourish in cool to cold temperatures.
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