Gilroy
– Bring in the dog, cover the plants and turn up the heater
because Gilroy is expected to experience some very frigid weather
this weekend.
Gilroy – Bring in the dog, cover the plants and turn up the heater because Gilroy is expected to experience some very frigid weather this weekend.
By early Saturday morning a cold front will have moved in with the potential to drop snowflakes atop South County hills, said National Weather Service forecaster Diana Henderson. The low for Saturday is expected to be 27 degrees.
Beginning Thursday night, temperatures are expected to drop significantly. Skies will clear and winds will begin to diminish and pave the way for a cold front that will extend through Saturday. For Sunday and Monday, low temperatures should rise to 33 degrees.
Mike Vogel, owner of Menlo Growers in Gilroy, is glad that this weekend will reach only 27 degrees after hearing that initial predictions put the low temperatures below 20 degrees. He was expecting the worst for his citrus plants.
“We have citrus primarily so we’re really going to be affected,” said Vogel, who has more than five acres of citrus plants in the Gilroy area.
Vogel recalls the damage caused by the 27-degree chill in late-December.
“We have some damage on our plants from that,” he said, but he is preparing for this weekend.
The best thing to do is cover the plant with frost cloth. Vogel said that it is best not to have the cloth touching the plant. He advised that an electric light or Christmas lights could be placed under that cloth for additional warmth.
Last year on Jan. 13, the low temperature hit 34 degrees, seven degrees higher than this weekend’s predicted temperatures.
Even though no records have been broken so far this year, an advisory frost report from the National Weather Service encourages everyone to cover their plants and bring their pets inside.
Brad Webb, veterinarian at Gilroy Veterinary Hospital, suggests pets should be sheltered.
“You definitely want to make sure they have an enclosed shelter. A smaller shelter will help retain heat better than a larger shelter,” said Webb. A low of 27 degrees will not hurt the animal as long as they are sheltered, he said.
Animals and plants are not the only things one must worry about this weekend. Exposed water pipes begin freezing at temperatures at between 28 to 32 degrees.
Pipes that freeze most frequently are those exposed to the direct cold, such as outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages or kitchen cabinets, according to redcross.org. To prevent frozen pipes, insulate them with heat tape or even newspaper. For faucets, let them trickle, since running water freezes at lower temperatures than standing water. Close garage doors, and leave cabinet doors open to allow warmer air to circulate.
While this winter might feel like one of the coldest seasons in recent memory, in 1963 the lowest temperature hit 19 degrees. So look at the bright side: So far this year the most frigid night will still be 8 degrees warmer than ’63.
