Our first freeze warning

This seems too early in the seaon, but yes, it's cold out! It's hovering right at 32F.

I brought in all my succulents two days ago. Last night after class I brought in a few more citrus but left the bigger pots outside. I hope they are OK. It didn't dip into the 20s so I took a risk.

I have two tomato plants I brought inside, the only two plants that were productive at all. The ones with infected fruit I left to freeze. Too many tomatoes from most plants would go from green to rotten.
...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM MST THIS MORNING......FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM MST FRIDAY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A FREEZEWARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM MST FRIDAY. AFREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM MST THIS MORNING.CLEAR SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND A VERY DRY AIR MASS WILL LEAD TOWIDESPREAD FREEZING CONDITIONS THIS MORNING. MOST LOCALES ACROSSSANTA CRUZ...COCHISE AND GRAHAM COUNTIES WILL CONTINUE TO FALLINTO THE 20S. EASTERN PORTIONS OF PINAL COUNTY WILL FALL BELOWFREEZING AS WELL. PORTIONS OF THE TUCSON METRO AREA ARE EXPECTEDTO EXPERIENCE NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES...PARTICULARLY NEARWASHES AND FOOTHILL LOCATIONS.THIS COLD AIRMASS WILL PERSIST FOR YET ANOTHER MORNING...WITH WIDESPREADFREEZING OR NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FRIDAY.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED.THESE TEMPERATURES WILL KILL SENSITIVE CROPS AND VEGETATION.COVER THEM...IF POSSIBLE...WITH CLOTH SHEETS OR BLANKETS TOPROTECT THEM FROM FREEZING.

Winter storm coming soon!

Big drop in temperatures expected for Tucson area
By Brian J. Pedersen
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 10.26.2009

The National Weather Service is projecting a high of 59 degrees at Tucson International Airport for Wednesday, which would be a record low maximum temperature for the day.

The current record “high” low, of 61, was set in 1996.

If Wednesday goes as planned it would be 40 degrees cooler than it was on Oct. 17, when it hit 99 to tie that day’s all-time high.

Thursday’s high at the airport is expected to be 61, a degree warmer than the record “high” low of 60 set in 1961.

Overnight lows of 38 for Thursday morning and 35 on Friday are also a byproduct of the pending storm, which is rolling down from the Pacific Northwest and could bring some showers late Tuesday and early Wednesday, meteorologist Jeff Davis said.

“This storm is going further south than we normally see at this time of year,” Davis said.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/314850.php

Better cover my strawberries!

Fall colors

Our two trees are still very green but that may change this week as rains from Hurricane Rick reach us from Baja California. We have had neither cool overnights nor the rain to get the autumn colors going in the valley, while in the mountains the peaks are yellow, orange and red.

Right now the orange honeysuckle are blooming. The turpentine shrub is in yellow bloom. Even the purple Mexican sage is finally showing its colors.

Thu
1
OBSERVED

Hi
89°F
Lo
61°F
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0in.
Fri
2
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87°F
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53°F
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0in.
Sat
3
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52°F
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0.33in.
-- row 2 --
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60°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
5
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81°F
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62°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
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Hi
84°F
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61°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
7
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Hi
82°F
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61°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
8
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72°F
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52°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
9
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77°F
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42°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
10
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80°F
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43°F
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0in.
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11

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79°F
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56°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
12
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84°F
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51°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
13
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84°F
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60°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
14
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86°F
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50°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
15
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88°F
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51°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
16
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90°F
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53°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
17
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59°F
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0in.
-- row 2 --
18

Hi
-
Lo
63°F
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30 %

-- row 2 --
19
Hi
84°F
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62°F
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20 %

-- row 2 --
20
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81°F
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52°F
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10 %

-- row 2 --
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Hi
79°F
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51°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
22
Hi
81°F
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53°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
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79°F
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53°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
24
Hi
82°F
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54°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
25

Hi
80°F
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53°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
26
Hi
79°F
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53°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
27
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77°F
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51°F
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0 %

-- row 2 --
28
AVERAGES
Hi
75°F
Lo
46°F
RECORDS
Hi
86°F
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36°F
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AVERAGES
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75°F
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45°F
RECORDS
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86°F
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30°F
-- row 2 --
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AVERAGES
Hi
75°F
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45°F
RECORDS
Hi
86°F
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31°F
-- row 2 --
31
AVERAGES
Hi
74°F
Lo
45°F
RECORDS
Hi
82°F
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33°F

monsoon leaves with a whimper

Monsoon leaves with a whimper
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 00:55

Changing leaves signal the beginning of autumn and the end of the monsoon. (Ed Honda•Herald/Review)
By Bill Hess
Herald/Review

SIERRA VISTA — This year’s monsoon was the 11th driest in the 114 years records have been kept, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

With 4.63 inches of rain in Sierra Vista saw from June 15, the start of the monsoon, through Tuesday, it is an indicator that almost all of Cochise County is below average in precipitation, Ken Drozd said Wednesday.
Generally, the summer rains bring about 8.5 inches of precipitation to the Sierra Vista area, which accounts for more than half of the average yearly rainfall, the meteorologist said.

http://beta.svherald.com/content/news/2009/10/01/monsoon-leaves-whimper

August - September temperatures

A cold front is due mid-week to bring more seasonable weather.


August

Sat
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101°F
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70°F
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72°F
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68°F
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101°F
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69°F
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0.01in. -- row 2 --
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71°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
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74°F
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68°F
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67°F
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63°F
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10
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94°F
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68°F
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71°F
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94°F
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68°F
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0.28in. -- row 2 --
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66°F
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1.16in. -- row 2 --
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66°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
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94°F
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67°F
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0in.
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95°F
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67°F
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97°F
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65°F
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98°F
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68°F
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68°F
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99°F
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68°F
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96°F
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68°F
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0.10in. -- row 2 --
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86°F
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69°F
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0.08in.
-- row 2 --
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89°F
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64°F
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0.26in. -- row 2 --
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65°F
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0.01in. -- row 2 --
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88°F
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66°F
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26
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95°F
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65°F
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27

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95°F
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63°F
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28
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96°F
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67°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
29
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95°F
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63°F
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0in.
-- row 2 --
30
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95°F
Lo
64°F
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0in. -- row 2 --

31
OBSERVED
Hi
95°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in.


September
Next Month

Sun


Mon


Tue
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93°F
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69°F
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0in.
Wed
2
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68°F
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0in.
Thu
3
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95°F
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63°F
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0in.
Fri
4

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90°F
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62°F
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0in.
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5
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64°F
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0in.
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6
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90°F
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60°F
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88°F
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62°F
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8
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87°F
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67°F
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9
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91°F
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61°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
10
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92°F
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63°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
11
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90°F
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64°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
12

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83°F
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59°F
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0in.
-- row 2 --
13
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88°F
Lo
59°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
14
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90°F
Lo
59°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
15
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90°F
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64°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
16
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90°F
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60°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
17
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89°F
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58°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
18

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87°F
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61°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
19
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Hi
88°F
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57°F
Precip (in)
0.08in.
-- row 2 --
20
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Hi
89°F
Lo
56°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
21
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Hi
92°F
Lo
59°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
22
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Hi
85°F
Lo
57°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
23
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Hi
83°F
Lo
62°F
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0in. -- row 2 --
24
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Hi
88°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
25
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Hi
90°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
26

OBSERVED

Hi
93°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

27
OBSERVED
Hi
94°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

Today
Hi
95°F
Lo
64°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
29
Hi
93°F
Lo
63°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
30
Hi
86°F
Lo
59°F
Precip
10 %

Our rain average this month has been 0.08 inches. The average is 1.28"
FORECAST: Updated Sep 28 07:11 a.m. MT

Hydroponics Workshop

Today I attended a free hydroponics workshop in town.

The main instructor was Jeffrey Ofstedahl from the Center for Academic Success, a public charter school in town. He teaches middle-school students science. He kept us all in awe with his enthusiasm.

Jim and Gary from the master Gardeners were also there. I also met a retired colonel who owns 1000 acres of ranchland right on the border. I chatted with him a bit. "Before the border was built we had about 1000 illegals a week. Now it's down to around 300" he said. He feeds his cows only grasses, nothing artificial is added to their diet. During the break he called his ranch to check on a cow that was due to drop her calf today. (She was still pregnant)

I picked up a lot of knowledge today from this workshop. Lunch was provided as well, although it was just a sandwich buffet with fake cheese and bologna; "school lunch food"

We even were given free seeds, and then were encouraged to take more as there were still many packets for the taking. I grabbed some turnips for Kevin and planted spinach when I got home.

The workshop was made possible through a $2,000 environmental education grant to the Nimon S. Hopkins Conservation Education Center from Southwest Wings that provided funding for the materials. Kelly Savage, a spirited woman I recognized from last year's Southwest Wings festival, was the co-instructor today.

My poor garden just looks so dead and dry this season. Kevin doesn't seem to water it daily like he used to. My strawberries are dying and I don't know why; they were still multiplying like crazy two weeks ago! I am still ahead of the game but all these dying plants in the garden look so sickly. We are still getting hot temperatures so we have at least another month of growing weather. http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/09/27/news/doc4abf24c4c11bd434122976.txt

Northern Arizona's first night of frost this season

Freeze warning for higher elevations in Ariz.

Sept. 22, 2009 07:01 AMAssociated Press

The first day of fall feels more like the first day of winter for some in the mountain West, with light snow in Colorado and freeze warnings for higher elevations in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah.
A winter storm watch has been issued Tuesday for Boulder, Colo., and surrounding areas in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Light snow was reported Monday in Vail and other mountain towns, and more was expected Tuesday. At least 3 inches of snow fell in parts of the foothills west of Denver.

Temperatures in Denver dipped into to the upper 30s overnight, and low 30s in Flagstaff, Ariz.

The cold weather and snow have prompted Colorado's Loveland ski area to turn on its snowmaking machines earlier than planned.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/09/22/20090922AzFreeze22-ON.html