More freezing weather tonight, then temperatures warm

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Feb 5, 2009 - 3:29:32pm

The ordeal is not over.

After an overnight low in the upper 20s in most parts of Volusia County, West Volusians can look forward to another freezing night, with lows in the mid-20s tonight.

The cold weather is taking its toll on farms, ferneries and people.

Nize Nylen, who operates the organic farm Planted Earth Vegetables just outside DeLand, said she's been using ice in an attempt to save her produce.

The citrus trees fared fairly well, she said. She grows oranges, lemons and limes.

Other produce has been about "half and half," Nylen said.

"Even the avocado tree survived. What I lost was bell pepper, basil, squash. My lettuces did fairly well. There's still a few papayas alive," Nylen said.

Some plants died down to the ground, but will come back, she said.

A spokeswoman at Underhill Ferneries in Barberville said her bosses were out running sprinklers last night, to form a protective coating on the ferns' saran covering. This seals in radiant heat from the plants and earth, and, hopefully, keeps the delicate ferns alive.

"The water was still on at 10 o'clock this morning," she said.

Fern growers will be back at work tonight, running the sprinklers.

Interfaith Caregivers, who run a cold-weather shelter at First United Methodist Church of DeLand, will be back at work tonight, too.

With 37 refugees from the cold who slept on air mattresses in the church basement last night, the shelter was near its capacity of 40.

"We ran out of air mattresses, and some slept on quilts," said church administrative secretary Ann Brandon.

Two staffers stayed overnight with the crowd, she said.

Weather picture improves

After tonight, the picture is rosier.

Friday night's low is expected to remain above freezing, though temperatures may dip down into the 30s.

Saturday, a warming trend will become obvious, with a high around 70, and a low in the 40s.

Warming will continue, with highs in the 70s next week, and lows in the 50s.

Will warmer weather be here to stay, or will freezing weather return?

Derrick Weitlich, a forecaster at the National Weather Service Melbourne Weather Station, said, "In the long-term forecast, it doesn't look like there's anything headed our way."

An easterly onshore flow will bring next week's warmer weather, and dry conditions.

Weitlich didn't see the likelihood of any big cold fronts coming through.

"The likelihood of freezes will be decreasing, though we're still in winter, so it could happen," he said.

And, Weitlich reminded readers, "We still have a freeze warning for your area, for tonight."

Maybe this is the last freezing night.

— pat@beacononlinenewscom

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