Lady Lake and Water Oak #9 (Cold)

Two weeks of brutal cold - for Florida that is - had temperatures into the teens for twelve straight nights and freezing temperatures for 12 to 14 hours each day for two weeks. Only in the aftermath has the devastation to marine life become apparent.

Arctic cold that gripped Florida and the southeastern US did a lot of damage to fish and marine populations. Several hundred sea turtles, stunned and floating because of the sudden temperature drops were rescued, revived and then released after the water warmed. Thousands of dead fish, including snook, tarpon and bonefish could be seen all along the Florida coast. P.S. Records show that this has been the coldest Winter since 1958.

First week of January
It has been snowing in Florida a little today and the central part of the state has seen some snow flurries and light sleet turning in to rain as the temperatures warmed a little. Parts of Volusia, Orange, Seminole and Lake counties have all seen a little . Mostly sleet. The average mean temperature for Orlando area 70/73F.
Citrus crops can’t be below 27 degrees for more than three hours, so growers are struggling to get their crops picked and stored as quickly as possible, which is sending up labor costs. Farmers are also staying up to irrigate their fields in the middle of the night, a protective measure that “creates a fog in the groves that artificially lifts temperatures a few degrees to stave off potential freeze damage.”
Orange juice futures shot up 7.8 percent on these worries.

A 79-year-old , who received a $726.16(January) electric bill from Progress Energy after keeping her Maitland home warm through the cold spell. She would set her thermostat at varying temperatures, sometimes as high as 77 degrees during severe cold, in her 1,900-square-foot house. She said this far exceeded any electric bill — usually about $300 in extreme conditions — in 43 years at her house.

We are used to a cooler temp. setting at around 70F so our bill for the month $170.00. So much for Global Warming.