Hi everybody and Happy Halloween! This week marks the end of daylight savings time and really turns the tables toward the coming holiday season. This is my favorite time of year. Although the time change brings us less time to do outdoor activities in the evening, at least when I leave the house for work in the morning I won’t be saying ‘good night” to my wife because its still so dark out! The brighter mornings will make you much more energized.
With the fall upon us, one of the most popular and colorful plants for the season is the Chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb. Their history dates back to the 15th century B.C. As the legend goes, the boiled roots had the power to remedy a headache. The petals were also eaten in salads. The flower was first introduced in the United States during colonial times and its popularity has steadily increased. The flower makes a beautiful fall display when they are grouped together in large masses. This delicate flower does best with some sun preferably morning sun. The drying effects of the morning sun will help to reduce the chances of fungus diseases. They like a location with good drainage and not to be in an area where water might sit when it rains. One interesting note, bright lighting at night tends to delay the blooms from appearing. Plant them in an area where bright nighttime lighting will not be a factor. Always plant a good distance from larger plants, as they do not like to compete with the larger plants root systems. Mums also like good air circulation. They will thrive best when planted away from walls and other objects that hinder air circulation. Chrysanthemums can also be successfully grown in containers. Be sure to use a light potting soil that won’t clump together. Choose a fertilizer containing the following ingredients: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, calcium, and magnesium. Trace elements of boron, copper and zinc are also beneficial. Happy planting and enjoy all the colors fall has to offer!
Now, on to Time Capsule.
Here are some National Weather Facts…
October 31, 1846 – Eighty-seven pioneers were trapped by early snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with depths that reached up to five feet. The drifts reached heights of up to 40 feet. Just 47 people survived this tragedy in Donner Pass.
October 31, 1950 – The United States had an extremely warm weather pattern in place. The temperature reached 83 degrees in Minneapolis MN. This is the warmest reading for so late in the season.
October 31, 1965 – The Fort Lauderdale area had 13.81 inches of rain. This brought the total precipitation for October to a record 42.43 inches.
November 1, 1861 – A hurricane near Cape Hatteras NC battered a Union fleet of ships attacking
Carolina ports, and produced high tides and high winds in New York State and
New England.
November 1, 1988
-- Low pressure brought gales and locally heavy rain to the northeastern U.S.
The rainfall total of 1.46 inches at Newark NJ was a record for the date. New
York City was soaked with more than two inches of rain.
November 1, 1989
-- A strong cold front ushered snow and arctic air into the north central U.S.
Snow whitened North Dakota and the Central High Plains Region. Up to five
inches of snow blanketed Denver CO. Yellowstone Park WY was the cold spot in
the nation with a morning low of 4 degrees below zero.
November 2, 1989
-- Squalls in the Upper Great Lakes Region the first three days of the month
buried Ironwood MI under 46 inches of snow, and produced 40 inches at Hurley
WI. Arctic cold invaded the Southern Plains Region. Midland TX reported a
record low of 22 degrees.
November 3, 1987
-- Twenty-one cities, mostly in the Ohio Valley, reported record high
temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 80 degrees at Columbus OH was
their warmest reading of record for so late in the season. Showers and
thundershowers associated with a tropical depression south of Florida produced
4.28 inches of rain at Clewiston in 24 hours
November 4, 1927
– The day of the Great Vermont Flood. Tropical rains deluged the Green
Mountains area of Vermont bring ing the worst flood in history. They received
upwarrds to 15 inches of rain. The flooding claimed 200 lives and caused 40
million in damages. Flooding left up to ten feet of water in Montpelier.
November 4, 1988
-- Thunderstorms developing ahead of a fast moving cold front produced severe
weather over the Tennessee Valley and the Central Gulf Coast States during the
afternoon and evening hours, and into the next morning. Thunderstorms spawned
nineteen tornadoes, including eleven in Mississippi. The last of the nineteen
tornadoes killed a woman in her mobile home in Lee FL. A tornado in Culbert AL
injured sixteen people, and caused two million dollars damage. Thunderstorms
also produced baseball size hail in Alabama. Unseasonably hot air prevailed
south of the cold front. McAllen TX was the hot spot in the nation with a high
of 102 degrees.
November 7, 1951
– At 7:00 AM a meteor disintigrated causing a blinding flash over parts of
Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Now some Florida Weather History…
October 31 1958 -- Manatee Co., Palmetto -- A tornado damaged four homes north of the Sar-Brad Airport. A hotel was also heavily damaged. Four people were injured.
October 31, l960 -- Lee Co., Sanibel Island -- A tornado moved across the island and demolished a small marina. An employee of the marina was killed.
October 31, l973 -- Pinellas/Hillsborough Co., Largo --A tornado damaged about l75 homes (mostly trailers), a school, and shopping center.
November 1-3, 1956 -- entire east coast -- A Tropical Depression that moved north out of Cuba on October 31st and made a loop east of Florida on the 1st through 3rd brought high tides and heavy surf to much of east Florida. Extensive property damage and beach erosion was reported from Jacksonville to Neptune Beach. Many beach roads and oceanfront properties were undermined at various points by pounding surf.
November 2, l971 -- E. Sarasota - Funnel cloud reported.
November 3, l968 -- Escambia Co. - Tornado crossed the extreme northwest part of Escambia Co. Florida doing little damage, however 18 people were injured as homes and trailers were destroyed across the border in Saraland, AL.
November 3, l987 -- Monroe Co., Key West - A thunderstorm wind gust of 55 knots was reported at Boca Chica Naval Air Station.
November 4, 1935 -- south Florida -- The so-called "Yankee Hurricane" struck Dade County from the northeast. Winds were 75 mph in Miami with a storm surge of 6 feet. The storm exiting into the Gulf of Mexico on the lower southwest coast north of the Keys. It recurved back toward Florida on the 6th and dissipated off Tampa Bay on the 8th. Nineteen deaths were attributed to this storm.
November 4, 1988 -- Lee Co., Fort Myers -- Tornado destroyed two homes, severely damaged seven, and damaged 109 others to a lesser degree. Eight cars and three boats were also damaged. About 80 Royal Palms were blown down along a scenic street.
November 04, 1996 -- Palm Beach County, Palm Beach - one person drowned in a rip current. East winds were near 25 knots, and seas 6-9'.
November 5, l988 -- north and central Florida -- Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes - 0115 - Madison Co. A tornado destroyed six homes and damaged l0 others near Lee, killing one woman. Other tornadoes hit Santa Rosa Beach in Walton Co. and Fort Meade in Polk County. Severe thunderstorm winds damaged roofs, trees, and power lines in Levy, Citrus, Putnam, Volusia, Osceola, and Polk Counties.
November 5, l994 -- Palm Beach Co., Riviera Beach -- Rip Current -- Four children on a church field trip were caught in a strong rip current at Ocean Reef Park. Three were rescued uninjured while the fourth, a 6-year-old male, was rescued, but had stopped breathing. He was revived and transported to a hospital in critical condition. He recovered enough to be released the next day.
November 6, l993 -- Pinellas Co. - A park ranger spotted two small waterspouts off the north end of Egmont Key.
November 7, l979 -- Palm Beach Co.-- A funnel cloud was observed briefly over Palm Beach Inlet.
That’s all for this weeks Time Capsule. I hope you enjoyed it. I love to hear from you! Please e-mail me your ideas and suggestions to JOESDISCOWEATHER@AOL.COM. As always, for the latest in severe weather updates and now winter weather updates from your hometown go to JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM! You can also join me for a free cup of coffee and a free copy of The Hometown News at the Stuart K Mart garden center every Saturday morning!