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| Eaton Rapids is usually placed in USDA zone 6A (predicted annual low of -10 F) |
It was -16 F, actual, when I looked at the thermometer this morning.
We tend to be warmer than some of our neighbors because our house is on a knoll and we have tree cover. Cold air is dense and runs downhill and puddles-up in the hollows.
A dense tree-cover is helpful in terms of softening temperature extremes at ground-level. "Cold" is partially the result of the heat-energy stored in items on the ground radiating through the atmosphere to deep-space. Clouds help retain over-night heat. Branches over-head also help reflect some of that heat back.
A secondary effect of heavy tree cover is that the sap and the buds freezing release heat and cause a very localized rise in temperature. Multiply that slight rise a million times and it makes a difference.
Shallow, snow-covered bowls with no vegetation or strctures emerging above the snow are the worst-case scenario for low temperatures. They are parabolic mirrors aimed at deep-space and have no other thermal mass than the human stupid enough to choose to bivouac or have their snow-machine founder there.
Back in the 1970's, when I pumped gas for a living (beer and chick money), we used to say ...snow is better than rain. at least one could brush the snow off. It is negative one here, now, in N.E. Indiana.
ReplyDelete-7 the calm before the storm. Just a dusting of snow over my well sanded driveway. Not that sand means anything if a real ice storm occurs.
ReplyDeleteStay safe folks.
Are your trees going to be alright?
ReplyDeleteStefan v.
MSU chart (years ago) predicted 90% peach bud kill at -14F. The other fruit should be ok. On the bright side this should reduce the insect population (mites) on the trees. I do expect some winter kill here at frozen acres as it hit -18 F here.(actual tree death of peaches).
ReplyDeleteGrumpy Old Macdonald
I have read of the risk of bursting trees in some places. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteOnly 10 below here. Lake Superior keeps us warmer. Unless it freezes over. --ken
ReplyDelete9 degrees down here in North Texas...Brrrr... We aren't insulated for this crap!!!
ReplyDeleteStrange weather this winter in the Pacific NW up here just north of 49 degrees. Two months of the usual heavy rains and then 10 days of dry. Coldest overnight low will only be 25 degrees F. No snow here yet this winter at 200 ft elevation. The local ski hills are suffering with only 3 ft. Our local volcano, Mt. Baker at 10,300 ft has great chunks of rock showing thru. That usually only happens in August.
ReplyDeleteDon’t know what our water supply will be like this summer if we don’t get more snow in our mountains. Never seen it this bare. Zone 8a, fig trees and kiwis are fine unless they start to wake up and we get a late cold snap in Feb.
"parabolic mirrors aimed at deep-space" AHA! The lizard aliens again!
ReplyDeleteActually, I knew sand dunes could be IR parabolic mirrors creating impressive hot spots, but had never thought about beaming IR into space as a cooling mechanism.