Polar Vortex in the Northeast

Daytime highs in the 70s, nighttime lows in the 50s. This cannot be February! I’m already dreading summer :frowning:

Those are the Summer temperatures where I live.Brady

Reading these reports makes me feel guilty and wimpish about shivering and complaining that I’m cold here. I just keep telling myself that Tuesday is going to be better.

Guys, the Carolinas are going to suck in warmth and send it up your way, too. Hope you enjoy the southern hospitality when it arrives, even if that cold mass insists on pelting some of you with a parting blow iciness as it retreats.

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It looks like I dodged it for the most part, 8F or so was my low.

Most of the damage is not going to be from this one low, its going to be from all the cold and wind for the last several days.

It was 16 in my unheated garage today. Will that damage my potted figs?

Don’t know the answer but I’d have turned on an electric space heater well before it got that cold.

Yeah I never thought of it. I don’t even own one for that matter. But maybe I should look into one. I honestly didn’t think it got that cold in there. Last time it got near zero outside the garage was in the high twenties. Not this time.

-15 In seacoast NH with 35 mph winds just checked my figs in my shed and I guess the temps do not matter because the ones I can get to or see are kaput :frowning: mice got in some how. looks like I’m starting over they ate em all to bare wood. stay warm folks spring is coming.

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Yes, I turned mine on! Figs look fine!

They will grow from the roots. Voles just love fig bark- you got to stay on it all winter. So sorry you will likely get no figs this year.

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2 degrees above here in Newport this am. Rarely, but rarely gets that cold here. Are my fruit kaput for this year?

No, you should be OK. At least with most fruits.

Between two of us we had a dz. perch and one walleye. Looking at a couple of better spots for the upcoming week ( and yes it is going to warm up )

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Even those of us who got below -10 won’t know until bloom what the damage might be, unless we dissect the flower buds for damage sooner. Winter hardiness is very unpredictable- I’m not sure why no one has devised a method of measuring it because its all about how much water is in the flower buds at time of freezing as I understand it.

I have not seen any visible bud swell- not even on my against the wall apricot yet so I’m only mildly concerned about my nectarines and CA peach varieties.

It is very surprising for temps to get this low in the midst of what has been an historically mild winter, but wild swings are supposed to be part of the new weather in many parts of the globe. Not the best thing for growers of fruit.

I charted some temps for the recent 3 winters at my location.

Spring 2014: Nearly complete bud kill on most apples, all plums, and all peaches. Pears and a couple apples produced.

Spring 2015: Full bloom on all apples, all pears, and all plums. Partial kill on peaches.

Spring 2016: ???

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Holy cow, that is really interesting. I guess I do have to worry about my buds for this spring. The chart for this year gives me horrible news. My climate is warmer than yours but not by much. I sent an email today to the head of URI Hort. Dept. who is a friend and asked her what she thought. Ugh.

Ughhh… too much time stuck indoors, too much reading about delicious, delicious fruit. I ordered more trees.

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The chart went well below zero, while your area hasn’t. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I bet your trees were fully dormant. If so, +2F should be completely fine for everything which isn’t a Tropical fruit, Fig, Pommegranate, Muscadine, or Persimmon (and the last two could be OK).

Here’s a bud hardiness chart, which doesn’t list the temps for fully dormant buds. But, even for the awakening buds, +2F wouldn’t create a total loss.

Bob, thanks so much!

Also remember that damage by low temps depends on how long they last and there might also be the benefit of killing the pest that attack the fruit and trees. The county I live in was one of the first to be infected with the emerald ash borer yet we still have the majority of our ash trees still living wile the rest of the state (lower peninsula) they are all dead . The reason is that they found that the larva was killed at -30 (for so many hrs ) and most winters we reach that or colder . Now we still get the usual apple pests here as many of the larva overwinter in the ground that is insulated by the snow but it takes them longer to reach big numbers .

Chris,
At -30 F, it probably would kill most of my fruit trees, too :anguished:

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