'Miami Ice': Wind chill possibly in 30s this week
Pastor Dale Morgan
Posted on Sun, Jan. 28, 2007
*'Miami Ice': Wind chill possibly in 30s this week*
'You can even use your leather coat this time around'
Too cold for you? It gets worse
BY MARTIN MERZER AND PHIL LONG
--Miami Herald
You'll probably have to close the windows again. And bring in the pets
and plants. And brace for bracing temperatures.
The chill you will feel Monday morning will be just a hint of things to
come. Some of the coldest air of the season will arrive Monday night --
and that's putting it mildly.
Temperatures could fall to the mid-40s by early Tuesday in Miami and
Fort Lauderdale, where shelters will serve the homeless, and into the
low 40s in Weston, Kendall, Pembroke Pines and other suburbs. Wind chill
readings could dip into the 30s.
''It's definitely going to be sweater weather,'' said Bob Ebaugh, a
specialist at the National Weather Service's South Florida office. ``You
can even use your leather coat this time around.''
Though that is still balmy by some northern standards, it could
complicate life for some farmers.
A hard freeze is expected upstate, and a freeze watch -- the polar
opposite of our all-too-frequent hurricane watches -- is in effect for
interior sections of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Citrus-growing regions of Central Florida and most other agricultural
areas should be spared, said state meteorologist Ben Nelson, though an
hour or two of near-freezing temperatures Tuesday morning could cause
problems for vegetable growers near Lake Okeechobee.
Strawberry grower Carl Grooms of Plant City, near Tampa, said his 180
acres of plants and berries will survive if the current prediction of 29
degrees holds.
When temperatures approach freezing, growers turn on sprinklers that
cover plants with a light coating of ice. That holds the plant's
temperature at 32 degrees and protects the berry, Grooms said.
''At least they're not predicting a Siberian clipper, where it's down in
the low 20s,'' he said.
Back in South Florida, forecasters said a slow warming trend should
begin by Wednesday, but that still leaves the region shivering through
Monday night's blast of arctic air and nearly equally chilly
temperatures Tuesday night.
Shelters for the homeless expect capacity crowds.
In Miami-Dade, the Miami Rescue Mission and other organizations planned
to serve the needy.
''We have extended hours all through the night for the cold weather,''
said Terri Ramos, director of the mission's Women and Childrens' Center.
``We have blankets, extra food prepared, and cots out with extra blankets,''
In Broward, the Salvation Army shelter expects to provide mats, blankets
and warm meals to 80 to 120 people in Fort Lauderdale.
''The homeless population is already in bad shape in terms of health.
This may push them to become very sick,'' said Lilly Gallardo, assistant
director of social services for the Salvation Army. ``We can't do it
every night of the year, but in these circumstances, we want to help
them out.
''Sometimes they'll stay out, but they eventually come in really late at
night when it gets too cold,'' she said. ``We just want to provide a
warm and safe environment.''
Herald staff writers Rob Barry and Ani Martinez contributed to this report.