GR Fresh's Tony Incaviglia and H-E-B's Kristi Novak Comment on Weather Challenges as Storms hit Texas and Eastern States

TEXAS - Joining much of the Southwest corridor at the end of last week in Tucson, Arizona, for the 2026 SWIPE, there was one topic outside the agenda that had attendees buzzing: the outlook for traveling home.

With many in attendance from Texas and the East Coast, there was a lot of well-wishing for safe and timely flights ahead of the big storms anticipated in the regions—just one impact of the looming snow and ice.

The Hort Americas team, promising to continue to respond to orders, emails, and phone calls as quickly as possible, asked customers to “please be aware Texas is expected to experience inclement weather over the next couple of days. Shipping delays, due to ice, are a possibility.”

Further east, the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market closed Sunday due to the incoming weather and its potential impact on market operations.

“Because conditions may still change, weather and site conditions will be reassessed no later than Sunday evening to determine whether the market can safely reopen on Monday,” the company said in a statement.

On the ground in Texas, Tony Incaviglia of GR Fresh gave me more insight into what could be expected.

“The primary impact will be logistically, as ice and severe weather up and down the Midwest and all states east of the Mississippi, limiting truck movement. Supply seems to remain healthy, although we just received word that some wet weather in western Mexico growing regions will slow production, but transportation will be the main challenge over the next week or so here in the U.S….Once conditions improve, we anticipate a window to fill supply pipelines caused by shipping delays and we are preparing for that increase in demand,” the Vice President of Sales and Marketing shared.

As one SWIPE panel discussed produce strategies amid unprecedented situations, Kristi Novak, Produce Buyer for H-E-B, emphasized the importance of relationships and connections amid challenges like the inclement weather currently facing the Lone Star State.

“You align in communication, there is a lot coming from all sides. We at H-E-B have a team specifically to handle emergency events. It is just about communication and navigating expectations,” she explained.

Maintaining that open line as the buy-side and supply-side work together to meet the demands for what consumers need, she continued, especially at such a time, stands out as warehouses and retailers navigate what is available.

“Thankfully, we have strong connections with our suppliers, so there is that trust to meet needs as we see this through,” Kristi observed.

Business Insider reported that at least 800,000 people are enduring freezing weather without power as storms sweep the U.S. Spread more than 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine, the system hit the south-central U.S. on Friday night and is now impacting the Northeast.

Fox 4 reported Sunday that Dallas County officials were working to get the ice and snow off the roadway. An Ice Storm Warning was in effect for parts of North Texas through Sunday at noon, with a Winter Storm Warning in effect for North and Central Texas through noon Sunday, followed by an Extreme Cold Warning through noon Tuesday.

AndNowUKnow will continue to report on any effects throughout the industry and those who make it possible to bring fresh produce to market. In the meantime, we hope everyone stays safe and well amid these extreme weather conditions.