"Here in Ireland we were spared the worst of
the dreadful weather the rest of the British Isles had in February.
Although around 10cm (4") of snow fell in Dublin between the
7th and 9th of February, this had melted by the 12th. Air temperature
on a couple of nights fell to between -9¾ inland and -4¾ on the
coast with day time temperatures for the same period ranging between
0¾ and +4¾.
"Our normal temperature on the coldest winter
nights varies between +2¾ and -4¾ on the coast and -6¾ to -8¾ inland
with daytime temperatures of +2¾ to +7¾.
"No damage has ever occurred on Trachycarpus
fortunei, and when Chamaerops humilis is grown near the coast, and
given adequate shelter from the easterly winds along with good drainage,
it seems reasonably hardy. Phoenix canariensis grows in a few very
sheltered South and South-west gardens, but suffers severe windburn
in winters like 1987 which was the worst this century for that area,
-7.2¾C being recorded."
From the Cote d'Azur, France, Alain Moinié
reports:
"The French Riviera is really a series of micro-climates,
so the cold weather had a different effect in different places,
but certainly no palm trees were lost during February s cold.
"In Hyeres, in very protected places, the temperature
dropped no lower than -2¾, but in more exposed spots, -4¾ to -5¾
was recorded. However, the frost melted as soon as the sun rose.
"In Presqu'ile de Giens the minimum seems to
have been +5¾, but in Frejus (80km to the east) on the coast, but
less protected, they had -7¾. So, a bit of a mixture. In Nice and
Antibes, they even had snow for a day."
And Now, Here's The Weather...
