http://www.geekosystem.com/why-this-winter-isnt-very-cold/
The jet stream that sets the weather in North America is controlled by the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, which are climate patterns representative of sea-level pressure. The pressure recorded for both Oscillations have been quite extreme, with the North Atlantic Oscillation setting the most extreme difference ever recorded for a December, whereas the Atlantic Oscillation has recorded its second most extreme difference. Due to these pressure differences, warm air from the southwest has traveled across the Eastern U.S., as opposed to the cold air that is usually drawn in from the Arctic.
Finally! Explanation for why this winter has been so weird
Well, alrighty then!
First thing I thought of, reading your post, was the song by Queen and David Bowie."Under Pressure"!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU
Well, Xeramtheum, I gotta confess, my first thought after reading your post didn't bear ANY relation to "popular music" in any way, shape or form. What intrigued me rather, was the "predictive probabilty" of such findings...what does that mean to our upcoming growing season"? Because we got shafted last year---most of us in the low country---last year..., and I'd like to avoid a replication... I had the WORST veggie production last year that I've ever experienced, in my whole life! Anywhere....( N.Y., IIlinois, Clovis (eastern) New Mexico, Mansfield, Tx., Charleston S.C....Would like to avoid a replication... Any hope for this year?
Does anyone remember the product introduced back in the fall of '09 called Freeze Pruf. It was said to provide just a few extra degrees protection from the cold. Then, the winters of 09/10 and 10/11 were the worst and we needed much more than just a few degrees help. The product was a complete bust then.
I still had some in the garage and decided to try it again this year and voila, it worked. Although we never had a hard freeze down here we had significant cold and the tropicals like the variegated philodendron Monstera which usually melts, did just fine. As a test I sprayed just one of these false agaves, which were identical before the cold, and it has made me a believer in this stuff. Fortunately the unsprayed one is still alive but it has some catching up to do.
LariAnn wrote an article on Freeze Pruf a while ago.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2332/
This message was edited Jan 27, 2012 2:09 PM
I tried it and agree. Works great for a little protection/. i still have some and will use it next week - temps are supposed to dip to 30 and it will help my philodendron.
That's a great picture of how it can work well in certain situations.
Barb