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Instead of Tuscon, how about Yuma which is at much more reasonable 138 feet ASL. 70 freaking degree avg Jan high - warmer (slightly) than even Daytona Beach, FL (which is more then 3 degrees farther south and on the coast).
Just one other data note…I thought the numbers for Daytona Beach looked a little strange:
The average January high in Daytona Beach, FL is 68.9 F….the average daily high in Yuma, AZ is 69.2 F. The ave daily low in Yuma is 45.7 F and 47.6 F in Daytona Beach, FL...and the monthly mean temp in Yuma, AZ in January is 57.5 F – while it’s 58. 3 F in Daytona Beach, FL (0.8 F warmer in Daytona).
Sadly, I remember that that data point someone told me 20 years ago…nowhere on the US mainland is there 70 F highs (or higher) in January but central/southern Florida.
Don't be fooled by some "1990 USDA HARDINESS ZONE MAP" putting Brownsville, Texas in Zone 9b.
Brownsville is a solid Zone 10a, and while it has similar average stats as Orlando, winter lows are several degrees higher. The only reason why Brownsville was put in Zone 9b in the 1990 map was that it included ONLY 12 years of data, including Brownsville's two coldest winters of the century, 1983 and 1989. Every other map put Brownsville in Zone 10a, including the 1930,1960, and 2009 USDA maps and the Arbor Day Map. If coconuts were available in Brownsville, there would be many planted. The only reason there aren't more coconut palms in Brownsville is that due to USDA regulations, coconuts from Florida can't enter Texas, because of a disease known as Lethal Yellowing(which slowly kills coconuts and a few other palm species). So the only coconuts sold at nurseries in Brownsville are expensive sprouted nuts. Please also remember that the border region is extremely economically depressed, nobody wants to pay 30 bucks for a sprouted coconut while they can get a 15 gallon queen palm for the same price, which in their mind looks just like a coconut palm. Other then coconuts, the region looks very tropical, Royal Poinciana, Ficus trees, and Royal Palms can be found in abundance. I have seen a few large fruiting coconuts in Brownsville. There are quite a few in Port Isabel, which is a high 10a and some on South Padre Island, which is Zone 10b.
Here are Jan. absolute min lows for Brownsville and Port Isabel(2nd), South Padre is 2 degrees warmer then Port Isabel
Brownsville has a high of 70 and a low of 50. Harlingen, and McAllen have a January high of 69 and a low of 48. Port Isabel and South Padre have a high of 67(due to being near the coast) and a low of 53 and 55. Just because somewhere has a Jan high in the 70s doesn't mean it's warm, Orlando is a good example, it's more frost prone then Brownsville, Port Isabel, and South Padre but has a high of 70 due to being inland. St. Petersburg, Florida is warmer then Tampa but has a January high of 69 compared to Tampa's 70 because of the water's cooling effect.
Deep South Texas is a lot warmer then you think, record lows may be low, but normal winters are on par with south central Florida(Sarasota, Melbourne). South Padre is as warm as coastal Ft. Pierce.
Here is me(I'm 12) with a coconut palm on South Padre Island
I love Palms too lol. I live on the cusps of Zones 7b & 8a on the East Coast and I really want a Washingtonia. Our absolute lows are usually in the 15-20F range about twice a Winter, I think a Filifera can handle that. If it's damp then idk.
I love Palms too lol. I live on the cusps of Zones 7b & 8a on the East Coast and I really want a Washingtonia. Our absolute lows are usually in the 15-20F range about twice a Winter, I think a Filifera can handle that. If it's damp then idk.
W.filferas grow great in Galveston, Texas(extremely humid, the avg LOW for July is 80F) and survived 14F back in 1989. I think they survived 9F here in Houston too. While all W.robusta were burned to the ground...
...Sadly, I remember that that data point someone told me 20 years ago…nowhere on the US mainland is there 70 F highs (or higher) in January but central/southern Florida.
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According to the NWS Brownsville, TX. office:
- Brownsville's official average high in January is 70.0 F.
- Weslaco's official avg high in January is 70.4 F.
- Raymondville's official avg high in Jan is 69.7 F.
- Zapata's official avg high in January is 69.9 F.
Further north, at the Corpus Christi NWS office January avg highs:
- Corpus Christi is 66.5 F
- Alice is 67.6 F
- Kingsville is 68.9 F
- Laredo is 67.8 F
... and at the Midland/Odessa, TX. NWS office:
- Presidio is 69.0 F
- Castolon is 68.1 F
- Lajitias is 68.9 F
So, there are a couple places in deep S. Texas that do hit the 70 degree average, and as you can see there are several other places that come close.
I love Palms too lol. I live on the cusps of Zones 7b & 8a on the East Coast and I really want a Washingtonia. Our absolute lows are usually in the 15-20F range about twice a Winter, I think a Filifera can handle that. If it's damp then idk.
I'd love to try a Washingtonia here in Vancouver too... but I think our winters are too wet for them. They seem to be more of a dry climate palm. NYC winters are drier than here.. so you might as well give it a shot if you can
I'd love to try a Washingtonia here in Vancouver too... but I think our winters are too wet for them. They seem to be more of a dry climate palm. NYC winters are drier than here.. so you might as well give it a shot if you can
They grow in Auckland which has similar winter rainfall totals as Vancouver (albeit much warmer).
They grow in Auckland which has similar winter rainfall totals as Vancouver (albeit much warmer).
True.. but Auckland has an almost frost free climate which makes frost tolerance almost irrelevant. In fact, I would think that "cool tolerance" is much more important than "cold tolerance" in Auckland.
When I said that they were a more dry climate palm, I meant that they are native to relatively dry areas (semi-arid in fact) and can even grow in places like New Mexico and southern Utah where the minimum low temperatures are approximately the same as in Vancouver but there is much less rainfall and more sunshine. It seems that the combination of cold and wet does them in here.
Yes, your right. I always forget deep south Texas on the Gulf Coast...there is a small area that has ave winter highs in the 70's (how did I not notice it was on the map above right in front of me ). In fact, someone said that deep south Texas on the Gulf is the only area outside of Florida than can grow coconut plams in the USA.
Hawaii and territories of USA can also row coconut palms. There are even a few in CA.
Are you talking about the mean high for January? McAllen, Texas averages a high of 69 F in January, but there are days within the month of January that average a high of 70 F. Same goes for Brownsville.
But generally you are right. Central and South Florida, and extreme South Texas are probably the only locations of the country that have average January highs around 70 F +.
Hawaii gets warmer than that in January, as do territories of the US. Anyway, the southwest is in the desert, so it gets really hot in the daytime, but also really cold at night, due to the arid/sub-arid (semiarid) climate. The only exception is coastal SoCal, with its dry-summer subtropical (Mediterranean) climat, making daytime temps warm, but cooler than inland areas, and nighttime temps cool, but not as cold as inland areas. This is due to the marine layer. Also, the Pacificis milder here than on the east coast. It gets pretty warm back east in spring and summer, and freezing in fall and winter. The Pacific is almost always in the 60s here, though it has gotten up to 75 one summer off of San Diego.
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). In fact, someone said that deep south Texas on the Gulf is the only area outside of Florida than can grow coconut plams in the USA.
