The blustery cold weather that has been plaguing the rest of America finally made its way to Florida, giving us a taste of a very watered down Floridian equivalent of a winter wonderland, with plenty of wind chills, frozen grass, and frosty cars to go around. Maybe Mother Nature is seeking revenge on us for mocking people on television shoveling snow. Plants died, commuters were late for work, and people updated their Facebook statuses stating how frosted their cars were.
This is NOT right.
Even normally weather-hardy garden plants took a turn for the worst when left uncovered, in spite of numerous warnings to do so by local news stations.
Poor, dead, hibiscus.
The power demand has reached record levels, and several local schools are without heat until further notice, spurring warm clothes drives until the supply is restored. There was some power loss from almost 8,000 Progress Energy customers this Thursday, but has since been restored. Kissimmee homeowners didn’t lose power.
The worst problem isn’t waiting an extra fifteen minutes for the car to warm up before the usual commute. Billions of dollars stand to be lost in Florida’s strawberry, tomato, citrus and other crops if the freeze doesn’t thaw soon. While these crops are able to withstand cold temperatures, they can only tolerate it for small periods of time, and this episode of cold weather has lasted far longer than these fruits’ threshold. If the freeze doesn’t let up soon, hikes in prices are likely to follow. According to agriculturists, we aren’t at that point yet, but it might, and soon.
Snowbirds from up north have complained of the weather, having to buy warmer clothes and hold off on the expected beach plans. One woman said she could have stayed home (in Ohio) if she wanted to put up with the cold she and her family tried to escape, going as far to say the only thing missing was the snow.
Some relish the drop in temperature and use it as an opportunity to finally break out the winter wear, while others sulk inside with the heat turned way up. The cold spells are not quite over yet either, as Central Florida meteorologists are weighing the probability of sleet (snow’s dirty cousin) and graupel (a knockoff of hail, or a term coined by tricky meteorologists to pull the snow over our eyes, who knows) this weekend. The weather this Saturday and Sunday also determines how well Florida’s crops do: if it stays cold, supply goes down and demand and price goes up, and the rest is Econ history.
Tips to Stay Warm
Invest in a heavy jacket to keep warm, and dress in easily removable layers for when the temperature inevitably rises. Bring your pets indoors on cold nights, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. If you have plants you care about, cover then with an old sheet or blanket, NOT plastic, since plastic will just conduct the cold. Get a squeegee and leave it in your car so you don’t have to use a credit card or driver’s license to scrape away the overnight frost. Don’t pour hot water on a windshield either, chances are, it’ll crack, especially on older or already cracked glass.
In any case, savor this weather while it lasts, or if you’re not enjoying it, use the opportunity to drink half your weight in hot chocolate.
