Temp is your concern. The snow it just moisture freezing at some point.

Just hope you don't get freezing rain.

I have two freezes coming the next couple nights...this is just getting really annoying. Many of my plants do not look happy with the numbers of freezes and frosts over the last three weeks.

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1129 AM EDT TUE APR 10 2012

NYZ019-085-102330-
/O.NEW.KBUF.FZ.W.0006.120411T0400Z-120411T1400Z/
CHAUTAUQUA-SOUTHERN ERIE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JAMESTOWN...ORCHARD PARK...SPRINGVILLE
1129 AM EDT TUE APR 10 2012

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM EDT
WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM EDT
WEDNESDAY.

* LOCATIONS...INLAND AREAS OF SOUTHERN ERIE AND CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.

* TIMING...MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* TEMPERATURES...OVERNIGHT LOWS DROPPING TO AROUND 30 AWAY FROM
THE LAKE SHORE.

* IMPACTS...FRUIT TREES THAT HAVE BUDDED EARLY AND OTHER SENSITIVE
VEGETATION WILL BE VULNERABLE TO DAMAGE FROM THE SEVERAL HOURS
OF FREEZING OR SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FREEZE WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE
FORECAST TO THREATEN OUTDOOR PLANTS. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED
AREA YOU SHOULD PROTECT TENDER VEGETATION. ALSO...POTTED PLANTS
NORMALLY LEFT OUTDOORS SHOULD BE COVERED OR BROUGHT INSIDE AWAY
FROM THE COLD. STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RADIO AND TV
STATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

&&

$$

Oh my... I thought for a moment I was on Dr. Masters blog with that all caps NWS message...

Thats nothing...I have 26 on the way tonight and immobile.

Good luck to all you plants!

I don't think Im going to cover them. It was snowing today and it was 41 out. I don't think it's going to get anywhere near 32, and I don't want my blankets getting soaked and heavy. The WGRZ weather guy just said with our cloud cover he thinks they'll act like blankets and keep us from reaching the forewarned freezing levels. Our overnight temps are pretty decent I suppose, considering...

7 pm
Cloudy
42

8 pm
Cloudy
42

9 pm
Cloudy
41

10 pm
Cloudy
40

11 pm
Cloudy
40

12 am
38
Rain / Snow Showers

1 am
38
Rain / Snow Showers

2 am
38
Rain / Snow Showers

3 am
38
Rain / Snow Showers

4 am
Rain
37

5 am
37
Rain / Snow Showers

6 am
37
Rain / Snow Showers

Whaas, thanks and I'll be thinking of your 1 foot trees tonight during those mid 20's. Please let us know how things go.

I can't tell if Im at risk for freezing rain tonight or not. The weather guy never said those words...

I think everyone is giving up around here. Before there is was all this hype about frost and temps. hitting 32.

Tonight its hitting 26 and there isn't even a warning.

Freezing rain usually occurs with a warm front, after cold air is already in place. Sometimes it can happen when its already raining and cold air moves in, though in those cases its more likely to just change straight to snow.

In any case... are you inland or along the coast? If you are near the lake shore, the warning was never intended for you.

I don't get this...weather.com and accuweather.com both said it was 28 in my area as of 6am.

I have two different thermostats in two different areas. One read 21 and the other read 23.

Are they trying to cover for themselves since they didn't issue a freeze or frost warning!?!

I'm never ever lower than the site where they take the readings from, usually I'm a few degrees higher if anything. The area I'm in is very small from a sq. mile perspective so its usually on the money.

Some plants look like they are dead right now so there is NO WAY its 28 degrees.

My condolences. I somewhat know the stress you are under. It must be similar to the "wait and see" damage from our extreme summer last year. I had to wait until THIS spring to see how things would recover. At least you don't have to wait that long to find out the damage. Still, sucks the big one for one with such a nice varied collection. And you should trust your own thermometers over the reported temps, especially if you have two.

John

I really hate complaining but the fact no freeze warning was issued is what is bothering me as I would have covered more plants. Not even me though because I have this completely random illness that is keeping me immobile this week. The upcoming healthcare bills are enough to tick me off.

I think I'm done now!lol!

Here is one of my not so happy campers.
{{gwi:343312}}

This is the second time this morning my Japanese Maple looked like that. First time over the weekend and it recovered a bit and then hit last night again. Sad looking today and suppose to get another freeze tonight. Quite a number of my Hosta hit pretty hard that were completely leafed out. Will have to cut them back entirely because of the amount of damage and allow them to regrow.
Cher

Whaas... check this out:
http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/raws_ca_monitor.cgi?rawsflag=290&state=MKX&type=0amp;orderby=e&day1=3&month1=1&year1=2012&hour1=21&timeobs=12

Local station reports around your area. On the 24-hour column you can see how low it got. The lowest I see is 25. Most places were warmer. Hard for weather.com or accuweather.com to report lower than the data they get.

Anyway, the Federal Government (National Weather Service) issues Freeze Warnings, not the commercial weather companies (weather.com is The Weather Channel and accuweather.com is AccuWeather, Inc). So they aren't covering for themselves.

Its possible you live in an unusually cold location. Also, thermometer placement makes a difference... its usually several degrees colder right at the ground level as opposed to 5 feet above ground level. Standard thermometer height is 5 feet.

In case that link doesn't work...

Here is a link that might be useful: SE Wisconsin weather reports

Ok, not to get into the minutia, but does the actual temp matter or is it the "Feel Like" temperature that matters more?

I never got below 36, but there is a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground.

Famartin,I live on a lake and I live about 15 minutes from Lake Erie, somewhere between Jamestown and Buffalo. The freeze warning was for exactly my area.

I don't own a thermometer, but Im going to go get one because Whaas' experience has given me real pause. I mean, every degree of temperature matters when it comes to frosts and freezes.

ilovemytrees, you need to read the text of the warning (which I posted above). It specified "* LOCATIONS...INLAND AREAS OF SOUTHERN ERIE AND CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY."

No, the "feel like" temperature doesn't matter for plants since they don't generate their own body heat. "Wind Chill", "Heat Index", "RealFeal" etc only apply to humans because they factor in the fact that we generate our own body heat. It "feels colder" in the wind because the wind is continuously blowing away our body heat. It "feels hotter" when its humid because our own cooling mechanisms (perspiration) function poorly when it is humid.

I AM in an inland area of one of those specific counties. Unless you consider 15 minutes from Lake Erie to be *coastal* which I don't. I also don't think the smaller lake I live on makes any real difference, although it could be creating a microclimate I suppose.

Thanks for explaining about plants and the feel-like temps not being applicable. I honestly didn't know that.

The lake you live on may well have created its own microclimate. Water can do amazing things to the weather.

Anyway, there were some areas in inland Chautaqua and southern Erie counties that got below freezing, per these reports.

http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/raws_ca_monitor.cgi?state=BUF&type=&rawsflag=290&timeobs=12&day1=22&month1=9&year1=2012&hour1=22&orderby=e

Here is a link that might be useful: Western NY weather reports

Yes, you will be warmer near the water.

famartin,

Interesting how one area low could be 42 and within a couple miles another location reports a low of 26. I'm going to believe my thermometers especially given the placements and consistency. A sure sign for me is that my Rhodies NEVER wilt in the mid to upper 20s.

One therm. is about 6' off ground level (front of the house). The other is 12' off ground level (back of the house). If anything these should be reading warmer temps. closer to the house (like they always do).

As of now both my therms. are within 1 degree of each other, 50 and 51 repsectively. The reporting locations says its 45 right now. That makes sense as it always warmer near the house. So as for right now I'm mystified why my therms. read a lower temp. over night.
Also weather.com has always posted the NWS announcements as alerts. Of course they have one up for tonight.

Whaas... that one which read so much higher at 42 looks like it wasn't reporting overnight (click on the station name), so I'd ignore that higher value.

Wow, my 7' Katsura's leaves are all black already. It most definitely hit the low 20s. This tree looked perfect the day before as I was admiring its new red leaves glowing in the sunset. All the native trees around here all have limp leaves.

My neighbors native, mature birch has dark brown limp leaves as well.

The official recorded low was 28...I don't think so.