Dangerously low temps/Florida warnings for pets??

It got into the low 30's in S. FL last night. Many people in that area don't have heat in their houses, b/c it's not usually necessary. Most also don't own heavy coats. My husband grew up in Sarasota, FL a house w/out a heater (along with jalousy windows, which are very inefficient), and he remembers it being miserably cold when the occasional cold snap would hit.

It's also dangerous for the citrus crops (and other winter crops), which can't tolerate temps below freezing. Plan on seeing elevated prices in the stores...

I'm up in the Florida Panhandle and we're expecting temps in the mid twenties for the next two nights. That's pretty cold for around here. I'm going to turn on my electric water heater and keep a heater going in the RV for the next two nights. Better safe than sorry.

I follow both the Nat'l Weather Service postings for Grand Rapids, MI and Melbourne, FL.... and giggle at the FL warnings about cold. Of course, it's 55 today (but the sun is VERY warm) - so I'm wandering around in shorts and a T-shirt. The native Floridians are in parkas and mukluks, muttering about the crazy Michiganders.....

I have to admit my dogs love it down here - the first thing I do when we arrive in FL is clip them practically naked; but we've explored the local dog parks and dog beach, and they seem delighted. I think it's because the air in Michigan, at 20-below-zero, carries so little scent? ;-)

Please realize that southern states don't have the snow/ice removal equipment or budget that our northern neighbors have. It wouldn't be cost effective to buy equipment/supplies for something that rarely happens.

Also, our houses are not insulated to withstand really cold temperatures likes houses up north are. Again, it's because extremely low temperatures are such a rarity. Along the same line, our heating systems aren't designed to be able to keep up when it gets really cold. Many houses in the south have heat pumps, which become inefective below 40 degrees. We've been getting temperatures much colder than that this past week (in the teens in my area, south of ATL), with no end in sight for the near future. For this reason, we had gas heat installed when we had our current house built, even though it's more expensive. We've lived in a house with a heat pump before - awful!!

Yes, my dogs have short hair, they're thinned skinned breeds, and they aren't used to the extreme cold. I put light sweaters on them at night when I lower the heater. They like going outside, but they don't want to stay out too long.

I HATE the cold. Come on Spring!!

Dog Folks wrote:

mabynack wrote:
A bed tax seems to be the common answer to any problem down here. Just soak the tourists. After a few years the locals start wondering why the tourists quit coming and the economy is in the tank.

Not going to happen in my lifetime;


"Florida broke another record with tourism in 2013, with nearly 95 million people visiting the Sunshine State. That was an increase of 3.5 percent from what had also been a record-breaking 2012," Visit Florida, the state's tourism promotions arm, announced Friday.

X2
Those figures were really an eye opener!
And I read that last year the population growth actually went down in New York and went up in Florida!

Hmmm, Think those New Yorkers were getting just plum tired of being hit with all that snow and cold and realized Florida just might be a better bet?

I know where I am at that at least 8 out of every 10 people I meet that have moved here are from either New York or Mass.

I used to have a cat who would loll on his back on the patio in freezing weather like it was summer. He had 4" long and THICK fur. In the actual summer, he hid in the deep shade of the trees all day and only came out at dusk.

When I was in LA I saw humans turn on the heat when it was 65 and the AC at 80. Whilst wearing long pants and long sleeves.

I'm still seeing people wearing shorts despite well-below zero wind-chills.

As humans, we adapt to temperatures rather easily.

Transitioning from summer to fall up here, once it drops to 15 Celsius, it's time put a jacket on. Transitioning from winter to spring, once it rises 15 Celsuis, it's time for t-shirts and shorts.

mabynack wrote:
A bed tax seems to be the common answer to any problem down here. Just soak the tourists. After a few years the locals start wondering why the tourists quit coming and the economy is in the tank.

Not going to happen in my lifetime;


"Florida broke another record with tourism in 2013, with nearly 95 million people visiting the Sunshine State. That was an increase of 3.5 percent from what had also been a record-breaking 2012," Visit Florida, the state's tourism promotions arm, announced Friday.

A bed tax seems to be the common answer to any problem down here. Just soak the tourists. After a few years the locals start wondering why the tourists quit coming and the economy is in the tank.