<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Southeastern U.S.</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.27.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>From northern Florida to South Carolina, late-season cold weather has been threatening fruit and early planted crops. In southern Florida, drought remains a concern.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Warm weather early in the winter followed by late-season chill is causing some problems.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to Amy London, Executive Director of the South Carolina Peach Council, "We have seen some varieties of peaches bloom early, while other varieties are on schedule."<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/shutterstock_2905561.jpg" alt="IMAGES 03272013 " />Buds are damaged when temperatures drop below 24 degrees for most varieties; however, when trees are blossoming, damage can begin as temperatures dip below 27 degrees, according to AccuWeather.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We have not had temperatures quite low enough for extensive damage, so far, but we have seen damage to some of the flower petals," London said.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The cold should linger through the middle of the week in the South. Temperatures could dip into the middle 20s in some of the orchards from Georgia to central and upstate South Carolina.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The risk of a damaging frost or freeze Tuesday night/Wednesday morning extends from northern Mississippi to much of Alabama, northern Florida, much of Georgia and South Carolina.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Temperatures are dependent on the wind. If a breeze stays up, the coldest air will not be able to collect near the ground and at tree level. Often these conditions are determined by local geography such as hillsides and proximity to large water bodies.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Our heart goes out to blueberry farmers in southern Georgia who were hit hard by hail and have been battling freezing temperatures recently," London added.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The risk of a frost and freeze extends into northern Florida.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to Karl Schmidt, Florida agricultural statistician, "Some corn, peanuts, potatoes and watermelons have been planted during the past couple of weeks."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The ongoing and building drought is a concern for the citrus industry in the central and southern counties of the Florida Peninsula<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Orlando area, for example, has only received about 3.50 inches of rain since Dec. 1, 2012, compared to a normal of around 10.30 inches.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to Agricultural Weather Expert Dale Mohler, "While this is the dry season in much of the citrus areas of Florida, it has been drier longer than normal and could be placing extra stress on the trees."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">There is a chance of one to two additional rounds of rain next week for Florida in general, but the distribution and exact timing of the rainfall is uncertain at this early stage.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/cold-impacting-agriculture-flo/8900141" target="_new">Southeastern Weather Complications</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
