Dropped to -6.1 in Penzance last night, which for this site is quite
exceptional. Easily the coldest I've recorded, and coldest in Penzance
since 1987.

Since I my records started (1991) the only nights to see the
temperature drop below -4C were 1st, 2nd, 3rd Jan 1997.

Now 2 frosts this winter, probably a 3rd tonight, and that will be it
for a while.

Graham
Penzance

On Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:40:04 -0800 (PST), Graham Easterling wrote:

Dropped to -6.1 in Penzance last night, which for this site is quite
exceptional. Easily the coldest I've recorded, and coldest in Penzance
since 1987.

Temperature here in Stithians dropped to -9.8°C last night, but I'm at 120
metres above sea level and quite a way inland, compared to PZ.
--
MCC

On 7 Jan, 08:40, Graham Easterling wrote:
Dropped to -6.1 in Penzance last night, which for this site is quite
exceptional. Easily the coldest I've recorded, and coldest in Penzance
since 1987.

Wow, Graham, that's low for anywhere!
Much damage to tender plants?

Ken
Copley

On 7 Jan, 10:45, Ken Cook wrote:
On 7 Jan, 08:40, Graham Easterling wrote:

Dropped to -6.1 in Penzance last night, which for this site is quite
exceptional. Easily the coldest I've recorded, and coldest in Penzance
since 1987.

Wow, Graham, that's low for anywhere!
Much damage to tender plants?

Ken
Copley

Well, the next few days will tell. It's been cloudless all day and the
temperature is now back up to around 3C (12:15). The palms are
probably OK as it was very dry, and it's the water freezing just under
the surface of the palms trunk that tends to killl them. There was a
really large banana tree just opposite which has almost certainly had
it, as have my echiums. Up until 3 days ago the geraniums were still
in full flower! Couple of pics at www.turnstone-cottage.co.uk/recent.html.

I went out to Mousehole around 09:30 this morning. At that time the
car thermometer was reading -4C on the Penzance by pass, but +1C at
Mousehole harbour car park with the wind off the sea, so the tender
plants should be OK right on the sea front.

Graham
Penzance

Overnight Min temperature in Teignmouth was -6.3°C, which is the
coldest night since I've been keeping my own records in 2005.

This may be the coldest Min temp since 1991, or even the official -9°C
which was recorded back in January 1987.

Well, the next few days will tell. It's been cloudless all day and the
temperature is now back up to around 3C (12:15). The palms are
probably OK as it was very dry, and it's the water freezing just under
the surface of the palms trunk that tends to killl them. There was a
really large banana tree just opposite which has almost certainly had
it, as have my echiums. Up until 3 days ago the geraniums were still
in full flower!

Graham

I would never have believed it could have got so cold in Penzance, -6.1°C is
truly exceptional!

A minimum of -8.4°C which is over 4°C colder than anything I have ever
recorded since I moved here in Spring 2005. A max of 1.1°C and cloudy for
most of the day.

As for the tenders, the cabbage palms are quite hardy, OK to -10°C methinks
so they'll be fine. I think that the Canary palms are quite tough and should
be OK as well, and so are most of the fan palms. If there are any date palms
then they could suffer from frost damage but otherwise palms are usually OK
as most of the ones grown here are from continental climates which are used
to the odd sharp frost.

The banana plant will probably be burnt back to its trunk but may survive OK
and come back in the spring.

My geraniums were hanging on until last night despite all the recent frosts,
the flowers have copped it but most of the leaves seem intact (as yet). I
find the geraniums (pelargoniums) are frost hardy down to about -2°C but
last nights frost was something else.

(18:50), 0.1°C, RH 84%, DP -2.4°C, 1028 hPa (S), Wind calm.
________________
Nick.
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

In article ,
Nick Gardner writes:
I would never have believed it could have got so cold in Penzance, -6.1°C is
truly exceptional!

I looked up the data gicen in Gordon Manley's "Climate and the British
Scene" to try to put it into perspective. With data for Penzance for
1911-20 and 1926-49, the lowest value ever recorded was 17F. That would
equate to between -8 and -9C. So though -6.1C is clearly rare, it's not
unprecedented.
--
John Hall
"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless
information."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

On 7 Jan, 20:31, John Hall wrote:
In article ,
*Nick Gardner writes:

I would never have believed it could have got so cold in Penzance, -6.1°C is
truly exceptional!

I looked up the data gicen in Gordon Manley's "Climate and the British
Scene" to try to put it into perspective. With data for Penzance for
1911-20 and 1926-49, the lowest value ever recorded was 17F. That would
equate to between -8 and -9C. So though -6.1C is clearly rare, it's not
unprecedented.
--
John Hall
* * * * * *"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless
* * * * * * information."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Record appears to be -9.9C 13/1/87 (Data from Philip in an earlier
thread)

Graham
Penzance