Agricultural Emergency Report: ONE OF THE COLDEST ASTRONOMICAL WINTERS SINCE RECORDS BEGAN

FOR MUCH OF THE ASTRONOMICAL WINTER (DEC 21-MAR 19) FLORIDA EXPERIENCED MUCH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THESE COOL READINGS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE ARCTIC OSCILLATION (AO)...WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A BIG INFLUENCE ON TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. FOR MUCH OF LATE DECEMBER INTO EARLY MARCH THE AO WAS IN THE NEGATIVE PHASE AS SEEN IN FIGURE 1 BELOW. THIS MEANS THERE IS HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL PRESSURE OVER THE POLAR REGION AND LOWER-THAN-NORMAL PRESSURE AT ABOUT 45 DEGREES NORTH LATITUDE. WHEN THIS OCCURS COLD AIR TENDS TO PLUNGE SOUTHWARD INTO THE MIDWESTERN/EASTERN UNITED STATES...WHICH WE DID SEE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS DURING THE WINTER AS COLD FRONTS SWEPT SOUTHWARD ACROSS FLORIDA AT LEAST ONCE IF NOT TWICE EACH WEEK.

ASTRONOMICAL WINTER CAN VARY BY A DAY AT THE BEGINNING (DEC 21 OR DEC 22) AND END (MAR 19 OR MAR 20)...BUT OVERALL GENERALLY LASTS ABOUT 89 DAYS. IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE THIS YEAR DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WE SEE THAT WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA EXPERIENCED READINGS SOME 5 TO 8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL WHICH WAS THE COLDEST OR SECOND COLDEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN AT MOST LOCATIONS.

THE TABLES BELOW LIST THE TOP TEN COLDEST ASTRONOMICAL WINTERS AT SOME SITES ACROSS THE STATE...INCLUDING THE AVERAGE ASTRONOMICAL WINTER TEMPERATURE.

A FEW DAYS IN MARCH WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF PUBLISHING...BUT THE AVERAGE WILL MOST LIKELY END UP AROUND 55 DEGREES...OR IN FIRST OR SECOND PLACE.

NORMAL WINTER AT INVF1 = 59.7 NORMAL WINTER AT BROF1 = 62.3
RECORDS BEGAN 1948 RECORDS BEGAN 1892

NORMAL WINTER AT STLF1 = 63.0 NORMAL WINTER AT PLCF1 = 63.5
RECORDS BEGAN 1895 RECORDS BEGAN 1892

NORMAL WINTER AT TPA = 63.7 NORMAL WINTER AT SRQ = 63.9
RECORDS BEGAN 1890 RECORDS BEGAN 1911