We had freezing temperatures during the first three days of February in the middle of the night in two instances. There were some peaches and apricots in bloom at the time whose fruit crop might have been affected.
Wind gusts during this time did occur on February 1. We did have wind gusts a few days during the month. Certainly on February 2 they were. at night on January 6 and 8th. Winds did
not compound the problem. Humidity dropped to single digits twice
during the month. No major rainfall events. ET was about 2. 4 inches
during the month of January. Generally speaking, irrigation should have
added about 2 inches of water in January, 2014.
The UNCE Orchard is located at 36 degrees North Latitude and 2000 ft (666 meters) elevation in the Mojave Desert north of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The weather station sensors are located at about 7 feet above ground level in an deciduous orchard setting just above tree canopy. The soil temperature probe was accidentally above the soil surface for a few days but was reset to about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) below the soil surface covered in wood mulch.
Reported by Mike Barrett.
