Citrus Growers Forum

dauben · Posted: Thu 03 Jan, 2008 12:13 pm

Quote:

Citrus growers shiver as cold lingers
By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer
32 minutes ago

ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida citrus growers spent an uneasy night as a blast of bone-chilling air lingered over the East, forcing some farmers to try to save their crop beneath a layer of ice.

Growers were doing two things harvesting as many mature fruits and vegetables as possible, and trying to protect plants by spraying them with water that freezes, insulating the temperature at 32.

Based on early reports, citrus industry officials believe the state's groves escaped major damage, because it didn't get as cold as forecast.

"Overall, this is preliminary, but it looks like we have dodged a bullet," said Rusty Wiygul, director of grower affairs for Florida Citrus Mutual. He said there will be pockets of minor damage.

Temperatures in many areas of northern Florida dropped into the 20s early Thursday, following the 30-degree temperatures some northern parts of the state saw Wednesday. Cross City was 20. Farther south, Orlando was 31 and it was 39 in Miami.

People in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast and the Ohio Valley woke up to sub-freezing temperatures.

Upstate New York had single-digit readings and wind chills well below zero. At 7 a.m., it was 8 degrees below zero in Watertown, N.Y., with the wind chill making it feel like 20 below. In Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, it was 17 below with calm winds.

The lowest reading in Maine was 23 below near Ashland, the National Weather Service said. Ohio saw 9 degrees at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, 8 in Youngstown and 7 in Dayton.

People shivered overnight inside about 1,000 homes that lost power in the Cincinnati suburb of Madeira after a vehicle hit a utility pole around 12:30 a.m. Duke Energy indicates nearly all the customers were back on by 6 a.m.

On the West Coast, a trio of rainstorms was expected to hit Southern California this weekend, with the first band of showers set to arrive Thursday.

The heaviest precipitation is expected overnight Friday, with lowland areas around Los Angeles and Orange County getting a total of up to 4 inches and mountain areas up to 6 inches.

Officials urged homeowners in mudslide-prone areas to stock up on sandbags, monitor the news for evacuations and keep an eye on local streams and flood control channels for flooding. Fire stations throughout the region were handing out free sandbags.

Citrus crops were not the only ones at risk in Florida. A broad variety of plants and produce from broccoli and cabbage in the north to strawberries, tomatoes and corn in the south are also threatened.

In Louisiana, strawberry farmers covered their crops with material in an attempt to protect them. Peach farmers, however, welcomed the cold, which they say benefits their fruit trees during their period of dormancy.

"The more cold weather we have, the better," said Joe Mitchum, a peach grower outside Ruston, La.

The unusually low temperatures led New Orleans emergency officials to enact a "freeze plan" on New Year's Eve, allowing homeless shelters to temporarily exceed their fire safety capacity. Six shelters took on 700 extra cots between them, boosting the city's capacity of about 400 shelter beds. The plan is expected to last through Thursday.

Snow fell Wednesday from Ohio through eastern Kentucky and West Virginia into parts of Virginia and Maryland. West Virginia's rugged Randolph County got 13 inches, the Weather Service said.

At least 40 of West Virginia's 55 counties closed schools Wednesday because of snow-covered roads and freezing temperatures. Dozens of schools also were closed Wednesday in southeastern Michigan.

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Associated Press writer Gillian Flaccus in Santa Ana, Calif., contributed to this report.