The Cold Snap - Literally

The aftermath of the hard freeze is just beginning. Unfortunately, we in the Valley of the Sun are not exactly set up for those kinds of temperatures. Today's AZ Republic has a front page article about the plumbers' surge in business:

The warmer weather expected to blow into the Valley this week offers little solace to residents scrambling to find a plumber to repair their busted waterlines.

The below-freezing marks will be replaced by lows in the 30s and 40s, but many Valley plumbers are booked at least through this week as they respond to frantic calls from residents with water flooding their homes or businesses. The freezing temperatures caused water sitting in those pipes to freeze, expand and then rip through the lines.

Those of us who were reared in colder climes know all about busted pipes, but it doesn't make it any easier when you experience it here. The Mister and I escaped that fate, but our plants are looking pretty frosted, especially the bougainvillea and honeysuckle. We could do an early pruning, but that's risky if it frosts again, which is likely.

One place that we expect to see some extra effect is the lake at Town Center. The tilapia in this lake have been dying - as they do every year at this time - due to the cold weather. The Water Expert has some folks coming out to clean up the dead fish three or four times a week; but I suppose that the hard freeze will take out a few extra. We have been getting some calls from residents, and I would like to reiterate that this is normal, it happens every year, we plan for it, and there are plenty of tilapia to replace the dead ones (they proliferate more than rabbits!) and keep the lake biologically balanced. In spite of our best efforts to keep the edges of the lake pristine, any time you visit you will probably see some dead fish.

Just in case you're wondering, according to this weather site, our recent lows were not record lows, only second best. The record low on January 14, 1963 was 22 degrees.