Average minimum 18.6F
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Good work! I was hoping someone could translate the data into a line graph!
Also interesting tidbit from Sunset’s info for my zone 4:
“If you’re growing vegetables, for example, add at least 50 percent to the days-to-harvest figure listed on the seed package…” Good to know even if you’re growing mostly from transplants.
ZONE 5: Marine influence along the Northwest coast, Puget Sound, and South Vancouver Island
Mild ocean air moderates Zone 5, allowing it to produce some of the finest rhododendrons, Japanese maples, and rock garden plants anywhere.Heaths and heathers thrive in sandy soils along the coast and inland, and katsura trees reach their prime, rarely scorching as they may inland. It’s also fine country for native woodland ferns, trilliums, piggyback plants, vine maples, and dogwoods. Summer highs run between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C) along the coast, and between 70 and 75°F (21 and 24°C) inland and around Puget Sound. Such mild temperatures favor leaf vegetables, which are slow to bolt, and flowering ornamentals like begonias. Steady breezes and lower temperatures, especially along the coast,make windbreaks and warm microclimates critical for heat-loving plants.
Average January minimum temperatures range from 33 to 41°F (1 to 5°C),with annual lows averaging a few degrees colder, and 10-year extremes ranging from 20 to 6°F (–7 to –14°C). Some locations (Coupeville, Raymond, Long Beach, Tillamook, Newport) get 10-year lows between 6° and 10°F (-14° and –12°C), but much of the region, especially along the Oregon coast, is mild enough to let gardeners get away with growing plants like Washingtonia robusta and hardy forms of Agave americana. Big freezes do considerable damage when they come very early or very late. And while these occasional disasters clear the slate of most borderline plants, they should not serve as a general gauge of plant hardiness here. Though the growing season averages between 200 and 250 days, heat accumulation is low, and warm-season vegetables develop slowly.
Camas is currently predicting to see low 20s a couple of times. Hopefully it doesn’t get below that. I’ll keep tabs with my weather station.
I still need to drain my hose lines. Today I got the AWD Swedish Rider going and swapped the mowing deck for the snow thrower. I’ve only really needed it once in the last few years. Last year I got one practice run, but was pretty unnecessary. I wouldn’t have bought the attachment, but it came with the used mower.
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Better cover the 1-4 gallon containers with a lot of beauty bark!
NWS Seattle has updated the temperature probability charts:
Thank goodness the forecast is trending slightly warmer, now if it would just trend a ton more in that direction that would be great.
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I went out and winterized the outdoor faucets and well head. I still have memories of a winter down to 11F maybe ten years ago. Maybe 9F but my memory plays tricks on me. Where I could, I turned off the main line to the garden faucet and left it open and covered with insulation and a tarp. I have a space heater on a thermostat in the well house.
It will be interesting to see what doesn’t survive. I had all of my current figs back then. A Trachycarpus fortunei palm was almost killed - the growth point was half killed but a side recovered and the tree grew back from that. Those palms are much bigger now. It will also be a test of my Alpine Eucalyptus. None of those gets fertilized, do they should not have any rank succulent growth that might be especially susceptible.
The garlic is up. I think it should be OK. It’s survived almost that cold before.
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After holding above freezing for most of the night, the expected multi-day freeze has begun in my yard at least:
Here too. I wish I could choose he scale and gradations for the temperature axis:
edit: I spoke too soon. It’s over 33F out there now.
My lowest overnight temp 15.6F. Currently 16.3F. Ferry shut down.
Much colder than Seattle area?!
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You’re right in the path of the Fraser Outflow, so it would make sense you’re colder and probably windier, but that’s still a huge difference.
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It looks like Tuesday,the 28th,will be the coldest,with 13F here in Redmond.
Weather dot com seems to think tonight will be the coldest for West Seattle, still crossing my fingers with the hope it doesn’t drop this much today.
Ahhhh. I see!!
It’s remarkable seeing how places in the outflow are colder than places further north even. Here are current temperatures:
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We’re getting down to -5f at night and 15f in the day…not unheard of but unusual…especially in December. Hope everyone is staying safe/managing to protect fruit crops!
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Today was the coldest high temperature in Seattle since 1990, and the coldest low since 2010.
I really did choose the wrong year to start my cold hardy avocado trials!