Hello all

I know this week is like if Al Gore opened the arctic windows to compensate for the global warming but I noticed a bright side to this coldest day (-31C or -24F tonight in Ottawa ON, January 15, 09), and the good news is that yesterday was the lowest 'average minimum' temperature day of the year for our area i.e. January 13 & 14 have the lowest 'average minimum' temperature of year when averaged over some 70 years. I know it does not mean much because fig plants are killed not by the average minimum temperatures in most locations but by the abnormal low temperatures occurrences that stay for a few days; but still there is a good sign to enjoy today’s date; like the pagans used to celebrate the 3rd week of December, not for the shortest day but the reversal of the daylight (even if the temperatures reversal lagged, like hysteresis effect due to latent heat). I had to find something to feel better about and I think I did. You can check the date for your area lowest 'average minimum' temperature date. When you plot these 'average minimum" temperatures over time of the year, it gives a perfect sine wave. Today we emerged from the lowest point of the sine wave (of minimum average plotted against time of the year). Other areas in the North East away from big water bodies should closely follow this pattern.

Fig plants will be happy to know this.

Ours is about the same.  See it here if you are interested:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gid/?n=climategraphicskhsi2009
Too bad we dipped below 'average' for the week.  :-)
It is not detailed enough to tell just what date it is, but close enough.  Mid January.  That would be today.
Mark-thinking warm thoughts...

heirloom
If you plot it for two years it looks a nice smooth sine wave.

But my experience of the last 40 years in Ottawa scares me of the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February where the average minimum may be on the way up but the frequency of abnormally low temperature dips is high.
But you know every other year has eventually past so this one will too.

Yes, spring around the corner is what keeps a lot of us going, to be sure.  I don't keep up on the weather and climate data that much, other than to know global warming is not for real...unless it is a several thousand year trend, and who has been around to track that?

Well, even though it would have solved my fig ripening problems but I have been ignoring it and do not wish for it because there could be so many unforeseen/unexpected/undesired changes accompanying the global warming. There is a good reference to a discussion on the topic in a recent post in the fig forum by cuddywiffer.

We have been at or close to 80F for 5 days, and have 3-4 more to go. Got most of my cuttings taken last Saturday. I am seeing a few trees breaking dormancy already. Never dull.

Tonight

•  
• -31°C

No chance for dormancy break any time sooner (that is -24F). There is an alert for not touching any metal thing with bare hands and surely not to touch your car keys with your tongue (unless you have hot cup of coffee to separate the keys from you tongue). We can expect to -35C (-31F) any time in the next four weeks.

Ottawan, thats cold by you !
Its midnight here so its Friday and current temp is minus 17 below zero garage temp is holding at 9 or 10 above zero with my 4 large tree;s in garage , we have not opened the garage overhead door in 2 days which is good the Misses carpools and this is not her week. Friday night they say temps will actually start to rise and Saturday maybe 20 above zero which is GREAT!
C'mon Sping!

Dieseler
It may not be the coldest but the heating bills make me feel really cold. Only the thought of some ripe sweet figs in the coming summer gives me some warm feeling in these cold times.

Ottawan hang in there bud it will get warmer as i know you know, those heating bills are nasty indeed! Jon said its 80 out by him at least thats a warm thought for the time being.  ; )

Same, if I can get thru January it finally starts to warm up.

Yep, it's around 75 today. Drove to work with the air conditioning on...it was 90 in Ramona on Tues. Figs are having a hard time going dormant! A good 60% of mine are but there's a few who refuse to drop their leaves.

Sue

Sue
You may eventually have to arranged for a walk in refrigerator for you figs to go into dormancy (probably an insulated room and an air conditioner will do).

No problems with dormancy here, it will be 14 F tonight, but 40 tomorrow. Unfortunately, some of the figs I put in the basement are breaking dormancy as are the pomegranates. Oh well, spring will be here in a couple of months.

Oh, winter not over yet here (or there too..). The actic vortex oscillations continue... Get ready....

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekquinox/southern-ontario-quebec-ready-big-freeze-polar-vortex-182311512.html

I have breba forming here in NorCal. We've had some cold nights but mostly warm days, allowing me to work outside in short sleeves. I'm hoping we get a lot more rain.

No worries... a report on NPR indicates the zone lines are shifting almost 4' per day.

Kathleen's Black is forming breba again. i'm hoping i don't kill them this yr. day temp has been near 75 last few days. it will be in 60s for awhile. but night temp is still around 30... it will be april before they pick up again. can't wait. my garage is looking like a.. you know green things. 

Thanks Otawan as that polar vortex is going to dip into our area.
 Seen a morning dove on roof today so there is hope.

The snow mountains have receded to heights which I can see over, there is hope yet!

Yes, even this far south (west central GA.) we have been in the low 70's a few days but they are predicting teens for lows and
forties for highs coming next week. Its not over yet. No sign of budding out on my 150 pots in the garage so far.