Florida Citrus Zones Warming; Damage from Freeze Uncertain

Temperatures in Florida’s citrus growing zones were several degrees warmer Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, giving growers some respite after a freezing snap Tuesday that caused fruit damage.

“It is generally several degrees warmer than it was yesterday. I think in the citrus areas we saw temperatures in the low 30s (Fahrenheit) rather than the 20s we saw yesterday,” meteorologist Logan Johnson of the NWS’s Tampa Bay area told Reuters.

Typically, citrus can be damaged by four hours or more of temperatures below 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 Celsius).

On Tuesday, the second major hard freeze this month iced up oranges and other fruit across Florida’s main citrus producing regions, causing fruit damage and raising fears of a longer-term impact on groves.

Growers say it is too early to assess the overall effect on Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry, but they are worried that the frost and freezing temperatures coming so early in the winter could be repeated in January and February, taking a cumulative toll on the harvest.

(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by John Picinich)