March 27, 2013
Florida Faces Late-Season Cold and Persistent Drought
Recent and ongoing cold weather is putting some early planted crops at risk from northern Florida to South Carolina. Additionally, drought remains a concern in southern Florida. An odd winter has agricultural interest concerned in the Southeastern states. Warm weather early in the winter followed by late-season chill is causing some problems.
The
cold will linger through the middle of the week in the South. The risk of a
damaging frost or freeze extends from northern Mississippi to much of Alabama,
northern Florida, much of Georgia and South Carolina. How low temperatures dip
will depend on the wind. If a breeze stays up, the coldest air will not be able
to collect near the ground and at tree level. Often these conditions are
determined by local geography such as hillsides and proximity to large bodies of water.
The
risk of a frost and freeze extends into northern Florida. According to Karl
Schmidt, Florida agricultural statistician, "Some corn, peanuts, potatoes
and watermelons have been planted during the past couple of weeks." Drought
is a major concern in central and southern counties of the Florida Peninsula. The
ongoing and building drought is a concern for livestock and the citrus
industry. "Long-running dryness is impacting grazing lands," Schmidt
stated. The Orlando area, for example, has only received about 3.50 inches of
rain since Dec. 1, 2012, compared to a normal of around 10.30 inches. According
to Agricultural Weather Expert Dale Mohler, "While this is the dry season
in much of the citrus areas of Florida, it has been drier longer than normal
and could be placing extra stress on the trees."
Rain
has helped of late over the central and northern counties of Sunshine State. There
is a chance of one to two additional rounds of rain next week for Florida in
general, but the distribution and exact timing of the rainfall is uncertain at
this early stage. Based on evolving weather patterns, it appears that this week
may be the last widespread risk of frost/freeze damage to the southern Atlantic
Seaboard states. However, someabnormal chill is still possible over the mid-South on to the north through at least the middle of April.
By Alex
Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist - AccuWeather.com
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