Florida was under a freeze warning yesterday as a quick-moving cold snap moved in, sparking fears for citrus and other crops.
Temperatures were expected to drop substantially in parts of the state, and were due to fall into minus figures.
Fruit damage is incurred at around 28ºF (-2ºC).
Readings dropped to below -1ºC on Wednesday and forecasters said it could get colder on Thursday.
Growers were picking ripe fruit off the trees in areas that they thought were most susceptible to cold damage and irrigating to protect their crops.
Mike Yetter, director of international marketing at the Florida Department of Citrus told FPJ that it was “anybody’s guess” what might happen. “If fruit is exposed for more than four hours at 28ºF it is generally lost, so the duration of the freeze is as important as the temperature,” he said.
“Fortunately, the Indian River area of Florida, where most of our European market fruit is grown, is not expected to see temperatures below freezing,” he added. “Also, the temperatures could actually be beneficial to the trees and fruit ¬- if it does not get colder than 28ºF, fruit colour will improve and the trees will get hardier.”
Governor Charlie Crist has issued an emergency order. He wrote: “I find that a state of emergency exists in the State of Florida due to the effect of the impending freeze on growing crops that are vulnerable to destruction because of the extreme temperatures, and that the possible destruction of these crops threatens Florida with a major disaster. I further find that that transporting the vulnerable crops to processing sites without delay is necessary to save them from destruction, and that the relaxation of restrictions on weight, height, length, and width for commercial vehicles transporting these crops is necessary to protect the agricultural interests of the state.”
The next official crop estimates will be released on January 11.
No comments yet