weather (Miami: place, humidity, boat)

[Chelito23]

SE Miami Dade has always bee dry not only because of the sparse tree cover but because the trade winds ae out of the SE, so there is a breeze from Florida Bay and the Atlantic. The shape of the peninsula and the water make Florida City and Homestead naturally drier places than the rest of Dade County. Of course, closer to the coast is always dryer in the afternoon thunderstorm regime, but Broward's location makes it easier for the storms to back up and work their way and form closer to the coast.

Even NE Miami Dade, like Aventura at the coast, gets more rain than Coral Gables, which is farther inland.

I wouldn´t say there are average years but a normal regime is rainier and stormier the farther NW you are...if you like storms, hear to Hialeah Gardens or anywhere west of 75 in Broward.

Oh, the Keys are extremely dry to compared to the mainland as well. They get the storms when there is a NE wind of the land...

[cixcell]

the problem is the further north you go the colder the potential temperatures. i cannot risk 1 degree.

[Chelito23]

True. It is a tradeoff. But at the same time, Homestead is colder than many other coastal areas despite being farther south. I think for the rainiest/warmest combination I would urbanized NW Miami Dade. When we get cold and have advection cooling, the entire area, even the beaches, get cold. On other still nights, when the ocean keeps them warmer, the urban areas are also more mild due to the urban heat island. Therefore, Opa Locka airport represents the typical temperature for this part of the area...and they are usually similar to MIA's temp...but Opa Locka gets much more rain.

It's ironic, one of the most barren areas has the most ideal climate for nice vegetation. At the same time, look at the coastal areas for lush vegetation, a little irrigation can go a long way.

Did you choose Homestead due to climate and location thinking it would be the rainiest and hottest part of the area?

[cixcell]

chelito: definitely

Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 2:16 PM
Subject: Florida and Mangosteens

My girlfriend and I are getting more serious about
moving to florida now that the job prospects in
california are so scarce and cost of living is rising.
But what i really want to know is, is anyone growing
mangosteen in florida and has anyone had them fruit
successfully? i imagine it would be as far south as
possible but how far north can you grow one? how far
north before the climate becomes more temperate than
tropical. im planning to live as far south as i can afford.

[popcorn247]

Mangosteen cannot be grown outdoors in Florida. Even in south Florida, our winters are too cold for the tropical mangosteen. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has some mangosteen trees growing inside their heated (in winter) tropical fruit pavilion.

[cixcell]

popcorn: you mean except for bal harbor. ive been to bill whitman's house multiple times. i volunteered once to work at the whitman fruit pavillion since i know volumes of information on ultratropicals and growing them myself in homestead with and heating during cold fronts. but the volunteer director actually yelled at me for reasons i couldnt figure out. and i disliked the elitist attitude i saw there so i forever swore off fairchild as a bunch of rich snobs. ive been there many many many times in all areas of that park when i was researching macapuno coconuts and such. ive worked with the fruit and spice park but they cant seem to get their act together keeping their greenhouses warm during the winter and irrigation problems. most of the stuff i donated to the fruit and spice park was killed in one of the two frosts. now fairchild is asking for donations for new trams. wahhh wahh wahh. theyre bathing in membership money and asking for donations. i have a real bad taste in my mouth about fairchild as you can see. i feel they've lost their way. its no longer about the plants, its about the status and they've gone overboard turning it into an art gallery. i have to go up to atlanta botanical gardens to see a botanical garden that actually is interested in the plants. they have a fantastic cold house with heliamphora and highland nepenthes! and their sarracenia bog is awesome. both i and another person i know have a nice sized mangosteen, a miracle fruit taller than myself. and a bunch of other stuff you have in the whitman pavillion. i have the expertise but i am not rich nor retired. and not willing to pick weeds to work my way up if im only interested in tropical fruit. ill continue to grow things myself. ive been to puerto rico and the philippines on my own dime for tropical fruit and was president of the fruit and vegetable society at the fruit and spice park a few years back. few are interested in ultratropicals as much as i am. /rant

[cixcell]

popcorn: I present to you a photo of one of the mangosteens from Bill Whitmans's last harvest before he died in the following few months.

[steel7]

Summers in florida are awful. Too humid, hot & sometimes rainy. At least here in so.ca its a dry heat so its managable & the nights & early mornings are often cool & confortable. Summer lasted 3 months last yr (mid-july through mid oct).

[cixcell]

steel7 but ive eaten mango varieties from around the world here and binged on lychee. you cant do that in socal. oh yeah and try growing a coconut palm. and your ocean water = green & frickin cold.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by cixcell

...there is never an average year here. it's different every year.
five years i've been here and never 2 years alike.

I can predict with preciseness what days we will get our storms in the summer. It's when I am driving at work....a big, metal, airboat in the middle of the Everglades. Those are the days we will get the storms with a lot of lightning.

Those are also the days that people come out in hoards to take an airboat ride.

Really? Did you not see the rain and lightning on your way here? Really?