The US South is subtropical paradise (compare, months, winter, rain)
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2012 (still recovering from 2011 freeze...coldest since 1989)
Even with all of the continental cold blasts, the heat and humidity often win! The Texas coast averages 3-4 months with LOWS around 80F. Warmer than Australia at similar latitudes and waaaay warmer than the Mediterranean.
They love to go on about how warm their record lows are in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. The diff is in the US Southeast with very warm summers and warm winter averages things grow quickly. Plus the sun energy is much higher.
Philly had 8499 growing degree days (base 50F) during the last two years combined. We avg 3532 per year. London had 4068 combined for 2012 and 2013, and they average 1689 days per year which is half of what we average.
No wonder my friend in the UK (Brighton) posted a photo on FB last summer of his tomato plant from which he got one tomato lol.
I never did it, either. I saw no point to, and I never saw any American on my plane do the same thing, either.
Anyway, going back on topic, while the far southern US does see cold swings more extreme than in Asia (the only other place with a similar geographical setup to eastern North America), it is still warmer than equivalent places pretty much anywhere. You can't compare Mediterranean Europe to the southern US, really. You guys miss one glaring fact; Europe is on the western side of its continent, the southern US is not. Naturally, winter temps will be much more stable than eastern North America. The only countries you can accurately compare to the southern US are Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, China, Korea, Japan, Australia (eastern Australia, obviously), eastern half of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. These countries (or their regions) fall in the latitudes that the southern US does, and face the eastern sides of their continents
For sure the temp anomalies are more extreme here, but the average temps are way colder in eastern Asia. Just compare Korea or China to the eastern US. Beijing is much colder than Philly or New York in winter when comparing averages.
Many of the evergreen shrubs and plants (like subtropical evergreen azaelas) come from China and grow all over places like Mobile, AL. Those are not hardy in the UK. The ones in the UK that are hardy are the same azaelas that grow in places like Philly.
They love to go on about how warm their record lows are in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. The diff is in the US Southeast with very warm summers and warm winter averages things grow quickly. Plus the sun energy is much higher.
Philly had 8499 growing degree days (base 50F) during the last two years combined. We avg 3532 per year. London had 4068 combined for 2012 and 2013, and they average 1689 days per year which is half of what we average.
No wonder my friend in the UK (Brighton) posted a photo on FB last summer of his tomato plant from which he got one tomato lol.
Yes but people commenting are comparing the gulf coast to the Med and UK which are much farther north!
It is hot most of the year, yes. But during winter, it is prone to very cold snaps which is very unusual for its latitude, which is why people are making comparisons to the Med/coastal southern UK where cold snaps like that don't happen even at 50N. Of course you will have a long growing season at 30N
But yeah, I agree that New Orleans isn't cold for its latitude, just the fact that the winter ranges are definitely wild for its latitude. To put into perspective, at the same latitude the Canary Islands probably have a record low of about 10C or something!
Yes but people commenting are comparing the gulf coast to the Med and UK which are much farther north!
It is hot most of the year, yes. But during winter, it is prone to very cold snaps which is very unusual for its latitude, which is why people are making comparisons to the Med/coastal southern UK where cold snaps like that don't happen even at 50N. Of course you will have a long growing season at 30N
But yeah, I agree that New Orleans isn't cold for its latitude, just the fact that the winter ranges are definitely wild for its latitude. To put into perspective, at the same latitude the Canary Islands probably have a record low of about 10C or something!
That is simply for the reason that North America is too small to have a semi-permanent high pressure cell as strong as the Siberian High. We do have the North American High, but that is not strong enough to keep temperatures at stable, consistent readings like the Siberian High does in Asia. So, for that reason, the southern US gets much warmer than equivalent places in China, while at the same time, it gets as cold as southern China and colder. The Siberian High, you can think of it, as keeping tropical heat away from southern China as opposed to the North American High which brings Arctic air down, instead of just keeping tropical heat away.
Regarding the Canary Islands, it helps to be surrounded by ocean on the western side of its continent... while Taipei is 3 degrees south of Tenerife and is cooler in winter. What side of the continent you are on matters a lot
But yeah, I agree that New Orleans isn't cold for its latitude, just the fact that the winter ranges are definitely wild for its latitude. To put into perspective, at the same latitude the Canary Islands probably have a record low of about 10C or something!
Bermuda is at 32N with similar means to the Canaries!
You've argued the exact same thing in recent years. Did one trip change your mind?
I still agree that the temp swings are more severe than anywhere else. What I learned on this trip was how quickly things grow back, and also how really subtropical it looks in reality vs google streetview. Streetview is limited.
I couldn't see hardly any CIDP's on streetview in coastal Alabama. When I drove around there I saw them on just about every block lol. I saw loads of citrus trees in backyards which you don't see on streetview.
So the trip did change my mind in that way.
I'm sure you can grow dooryard citrus in France in places like Nice and other mild areas. For this awful subtropical climate the US has, we are the third largest citrus producer in the world behind Brazil and China. France doesn't even grow citrus commercially as I assume the area to grow it reliably and decent tasting enough would be very small. Only a small part of France is as warm as Nice in winter.
Here is a pic of a commercial citrus farm in Alabama I visited on my trip. I got there on Saturday with all kinds of insects buzzing around me and temps in the low 80'sF. They have over 500 orange trees at this site, and 500 at another. I had a great tour. I'm going to order oranges from them next Fall and they will ship navel oranges, grapefruits, lemons, etc.
The orange trees were blooming and smelled amazing. They didn't lose a tree this winter which was one of the coldest in years. That says something.
I still agree that the temp swings are more severe than anywhere else. What I learned on this trip was how quickly things grow back, and also how really subtropical it looks in reality vs google streetview. Streetview is limited.
I couldn't see hardly any CIDP's on streetview in coastal Alabama. When I drove around there I saw them on just about every block lol. I saw loads of citrus trees in backyards which you don't see on streetview.
I always thought the south near the Gulf (and the South along the Atlantic South Carolina southward) could support subtropical vegetation. But further inland, not so much. If you were north Alabama or Georgia or western South Carolina, I'd guess it'd look much closer to home.
The 'deep deep south' has seen flurries of snow, correct me if I'm wrong (somewhere around Florida). The similar-latitude parts in Australia, North Africa and India haven't (not unless, though, if they're mountainous). Frost is also present in Florida, in some years.
Btw, the 'not so deep' south has sees snow every 3-5 years or so (New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio). Comparatively, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which are around the same latitude of these southern cities, have NEVER gotten snow. The south is still continental influenced somehow and thus nearly every part of it can get cold snaps (I mean, North America virtually touches the arctic region).
Look at the climate of Hervey Bay (QLD AUS). It is at the same latitude of Miami - compare them:
So you can say that only THE VERY far south of America is truly 'subtropical' or 'tropical paradise', not anywhere above Orlando.
Snow flurries have fallen IN Florida. This past winter, I believe some town in the northern part of the panhandler received snow. There are many parts of Florida that have multiple frosts EVERY year.
Well here in N Florida its usually the cold blasts and fronts from up north that cool us off in the winter. Between cold fronts it actually "tries" to warm up, even in the dead of "winter." Im convinced that if there was a tall mountain range running the length of the panhandle to block out the cold fronts, Florida would be a permanent tropical climate.
Is Miami not like that anyway?
I mean 26c in winter LOL!
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