Florida-
By Jordan Okumura
02.18.13
Florida has faced a round freezing temperatures this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The freeze warning was issued for Saturday and Sunday, continuing into today, Monday morning, for parts of Florida's key citrus-growing region. The cold front pushed temperatures in central and northern regions of Florida well below freezing.
According to the Florida Citrus Mutual, fruit damage occurs when the temperature falls below 28°F for at least four hours. In addition, four hours at 20°F can kill 3/8 inch or smaller wood and temperatures below 28°F for 12 continuous hours may kill larger limbs and possibly the entire tree.
In a report from Reuters, Robert Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay-Ruskin, noted that temperatures were unlikely to drop low enough and long enough to cause any significant damage to the state's $9 billion citrus industry but that the cold snap could see temperatures fall below 27 Fahrenheit this morning.
Threats of a hard freeze threatened extreme northern regions, on the periphery of Florida’s most productive orange groves.
Florida's groves yield more than 75 percent of the U.S. orange crop while also accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world's orange juice supply.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more information on Florida's citrus crop.
