Freeze Warning

The county is forecasted to get low temperatures after midnight in the 20s. Just in case, I covered all the garden beds in the backyard with the plastic, wrapped the citrus trees in a blanket. They are right up against the south wall of our home and should be protected. I took one of the smaller limes inside, a small pepper plant, and my beloved Iraqi acacia trees in as well.

I need to find better clamps for the tapr, though. The breeze these last two days have blown the tarps off both mornings.


Tonight: Mostly clear. Low near 35F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow night: Clear. Low 38F. Winds light and variable.
Thursday: Sunshine. High 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.

Morning drizzle

KVOA announced rain east of Tucson during its 5am broadcast. An hour later we had a light drizzle with dark clouds moving in. The temperature gauge read 50F with 65% humidity at 6am. Winds blew in strong gusts but the plastic covers over the garden beds remained intact!

This is the same weather we witness move over Sonora on Saturday. Rain was already forecasted for Tucson the next day. It's finally arrived now. A cold front will follow, which means I have to concentrate on finishing the plastic covers over the beds to keep the more sensitive vegetables warmer a tad longer. I still have tomatoes coming up, but at a slower rate lately due to the cooler nighttime temperatures.

Unseasonably warm temperatures

November was milder than normal. Some nighttime lows were 20F warmer than they were three years ago when I first began keeping records of our daily temperatures. My tomato plants are still flowering and I have three green pepper plants growing new flower buds!

Nonetheless, I spent yesterday afternoon covering the winter garden with 3.5mil plastic tarp.


November

Sat
1
OBSERVED

Hi
81°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

2
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

3
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in.

4
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

5
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
46°F
Precip (in)
0in

6
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in.

7
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in.

8
OBSERVED
Hi
73°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.

9
OBSERVED
Hi
70°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

10
OBSERVED
Hi
63°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

11
OBSERVED
Hi
61°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

12
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

13
OBSERVED
Hi
76°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

14
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

15
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in.

-- row 2 --
16
OBSERVED
Hi
69°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

17
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

18
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

19
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

20
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
47°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
21
OBSERVED

Hi
63°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
22
OBSERVED

Hi
73°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
23
OBSERVED

Hi
71°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
24
OBSERVED

Hi
72°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
25
OBSERVED

Hi
67°F
Lo
47°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
26
OBSERVED

Hi
70°F
Lo
50°F
Precip (in)
0.27in. -- row 2 --
27

OBSERVED

Hi
59°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0.06in. -- row 2 --
28
OBSERVED

Hi
57°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
29
OBSERVED

Hi
59°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
30
OBSERVED

Hi
63°F
Lo
38°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Fall colors

It's taken a while, but one of my trees in the front yard is finally in its autumn yellow. Its neighbor, same species, is still very green. The yellow tree is the smaller of the two, with bark damage that may have been from a wind storm five years ago, before we bought this property. The broken bark may have stunted the tree's growth. If it lives a few more years I will be surprised. But as long as it grows leaves every spring, I will let it live.

The crape mertle nearby is in a pretty red now. My oak seedlings are all red and orange Next year they'll get bigger pots. My red and purple sages are all in new bloom again.

At 6:30am it was 44F outside with 44% humidity. It's unseasonably warm sofar this month but more appropriate temperatures are due in by T'Day.

Chicagoland already had its first snow Monday night. Porter County, IN had five inches of snow Tuesday morning. No thanks!

Freeze warning

Watches and WarningsHereford Forecast /O.NEW.KTWC.FZ.W.0002.081107T0700Z-081107T1500Z/
COCHISE COUNTY-
228 PM MST THU NOV 6 2008
...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM MST
FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM MST
FRIDAY. WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO FALL...WIDESPREAD
FREEZING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN COCHISE COUNTY
TONIGHT. IN MID-OCTOBER AND THIS MORNING...SEVERAL STATIONS IN
COCHISE COUNTY EXPERIENCED FREEZING OR NEAR FREEZING CONDITIONS.
FRIDAY MORNING HOWEVER WILL HAVE WIDESPREAD TEMPERATURES FREEZING
ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY...RATHER THAN LOCALIZED AREAS OF FREEZING.
A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION. TO PREVENT FREEZING AND POSSIBLE BURSTING
OF OUTDOOR WATER PIPES...PIPES SHOULD BE WRAPPED...DRAINED...OR
ALLOWED TO DRIP SLOWLY. THOSE THAT HAVE IN-GROUND SPRINKLER
SYSTEMS SHOULD DRAIN THEIR SYSTEMS...OR COVER ANY ABOVE-GROUND
PIPES TO PROTECT THEM FROM FREEZING.

October Temps

October


Wed
1
OBSERVED
Hi
84°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Thu
2
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
61°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Fri
3
OBSERVED
Hi
82°F
Lo
58°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sat
4
OBSERVED
Hi
80°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0in.

5
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
56°F
Precip (in)
0in.

6
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
51°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

7
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

8
OBSERVED
Hi
86°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

9
OBSERVED
Hi
83°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

10
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0.12in. -- row 2 --

11
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0.10in.

12
OBSERVED
Hi
68°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

13
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
38°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

14
OBSERVED
Hi
68°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

15
OBSERVED
Hi
76°F
Lo
46°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

16
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

17
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
49°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

18
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
54°F
Precip (in)
0in.

19
OBSERVED
Hi
84°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

20
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

21
OBSERVED
Hi
83°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

22
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

23
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

24
OBSERVED
Hi
82°F
Lo
49°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

25
OBSERVED
Hi
80°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

26
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

27
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
54°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

28
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
49°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

29
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

30
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

31
OBSERVED
Hi
82°F
Lo
56°F
Precip (in)
0in.


November

Sat
1
OBSERVED

Hi
81°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sun, 2 Nov
Hi

Lo
54°F
Precip
0 %

3
Hi
76°F
Lo
51°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
4
Hi
72°F
Lo
47°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
5
Hi
67°F
Lo
40°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
6

Hi
67°F
Lo
40°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
7
Hi
70°F
Lo
41°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
8
Hi
72°F
Lo
44°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
9
Hi
71°F
Lo
43°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
10
Hi
71°F
Lo
47°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
11
Hi
73°F
Lo
46°F
Precip
0 %

Gulf Fritillary

I spotted this guy in my front yard, resting on the pineapple sage. It took me a while to identify it. I haven't seen this species in the area yet.

http://www.cirrusimage.com/butterfly_gulffrit.htm