Winters in Northern Mississippi? (Jackson, Gulfport: live, trees, areas)

[veganwriter]

Someone told me that he could grow tomatoes in January in Northern Mississippi ... true or false?

If not ... can anyone paint a good picture of what winter is like in Northern Mississippi?

I'm thinking of areas below Memphis, TN and on east towards Oxford and Tupelo.

Comments ... please?

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by veganwriter

Someone told me that he could grow tomatoes in January in Northern Mississippi ... true or false?

Now there's a whopper, and I'm not talking about a tomato!
Winters are generally cold and wet. Sometime there's a dusting of snow, and occasionally an ice storm. It's not uncommon to have a lows of 5 degrees and 50 degrees in the same week. Generally, lows are in the 20s and 30s, with highs in the 40s and 50s.
But no tomatoes in January! Unless, of course, you start seedlings indoors under a light. It would be April before you could set them outside.

[Frank1938]

The last 10 to 15 years winters have have been short, but this year it has been clod for a longer spell

Check this site for info. It gives past history also
Hernando, Mississippi (38632) Conditions & Forecast : Weather Underground

Our only snow last winter came in March & it was gone in 24 hours. The last ice storm that had a impact here was in Feb 1994

You have many days throughout the period that is comfortable weather for being outside

[Mississippienne]

South MS maybe. We planted watermelons here in Saucier (just north of Gulfport) in October, and my mother said, "They'll never grow." I told her, "It's so hot if I planted them in January they'd grow." Sure enough, the watermelons grew and soon little green vines started poking out of the ground.

Then it rained. And rained. It rained heavily for about two days, and drowned my poor watermelons.

[Dd714]

It's winter - we have a definite 4 seasons and it is very different from the MS gulf coast. Temperatures frequently below freezing at night and hovering in the 40's or low 50's during the day. We might have days of cold, cloudy, and miserable weather however that never get out of the 30's, occasionally we have those indian summer days when it gets into the 60's. Snow is rare, but it does happen (Monday we had a dusting of snow). Ponds freeze over, etc.

Not sure about tomatoes, but leaves change and drop. Grass goes dormant. It's not a growing season.

[Claude Wilson]

At this exact moment on Jan. 23rd (middle of winter)....it is 73 degrees and CLEAR
in the Jackson, MS area with sunshine and 46 Humidity.

In Los Angeles, Ca. at this very moment it is 61 degrees, raining heavily and
cold.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by Claude Wilson

At this exact moment on Jan. 23rd (middle of winter)....it is 73 degrees and CLEAR
in the Jackson, MS area with sunshine and 46 Humidity..

Jackson MS is most definetely NOT north MS. The high temperature today in Olive Branch is 39 degrees.

[Grahamebs]

I don't know about growing tomatoes in the winter here in Mississippi. I've lived in Oxford my whole life and during January/ February it can get prettyyyyy cold. It always snows "Atleast" once in febuary and the temp ranges in the lower 50's upper 40's on average. During night it can usually get down to the 30's or lower if there's a cold front coming through.
This year the weather has been extremely touchy though. There's been days from the upper 60's to days in the lower 20's.

[Frank1938]

It has been cold & cloudy this year but it has been a long time since it stayed below freezing for a week or 10 days
Christmas Day 1983 was 0 degrees. We have not had 0 since & many February's the trees start budding
We definitely have shorter winters than 25 years ago