Tropical Zone Gardening: Spring Frost, 0 by LApalms

LApalms wrote:
TropicMan, You said "patchy frost" on Van, I assume you mean the metal and windows of an autimobile? Man this used to drive me bananas!! My expensive digital meteorology measuring equipment was BROKEN!! Oh MY GOD!
Fear not........
This is "Radiational Cooling" a phenominom that can commonly happen even at above 40F. It is not a guage that the night was below 32f! Happens all the time. Here in California in my zone 11 (Never below 40F except a 39.8 one night and a 36.9 f in a 9 year period) and in my place in FL Many a night is digitally measured (Very Accurately) at above 32+ and frost appears on cars and lawns. The metal and some other substances in 'radiational cooling" cools faster than the air and frost appears at 42F!
Often a shock to some who think the electronic digital thermometer is broke, and know darn well from science class that water freezes at 32F . Several mornings in a row the windshield can have a dusting of frost, only to drive a home records keeper nuts. "OK, FINE, MY RECORDED TEMP LAST NIGHT WAS 42. THERE WAS LIGHT FROST ON THE FRONT LAWN", I GIVE UP!!!!!
Then the air warms faster than the material that attratcts cooling warms slower.
WE THINK the measuring devises are obviously Broken. They have to Be!!!
Nope, It's simply a common and explainable phenomenom. Radiational Heating is the related phenom.
TRUST THE HIGH QUALITY DIGITAL INSTRUMENTATION, not the fact that there is a fine touch if frozen water on your Lamborgini windshield, and we all know how that is!
Sorry for rambleling and bableing for so long.

"Raditional cooling is where the 'heat' in the atmosphere radiates out into space and consequently, temperatures can go lower than the computers forecast. ...
philadelphiaweather.blogspot.com/2006/01/forecast-discussion-windy-raw-cooler.html - 180k