Growers Keep Weather Eye on Nighttime Temperatures

Two consecutive nights of below-freezing temperatures have San Diego County citrus, avocado and strawberry growers concerned that another such night could cause frost damage to their lucrative crops, some farmers said Thursday.

Temperatures in Valley Center, Fallbrook and Rincon dropped into the 20s early Thursday morning, but the temperature did not remain at a critical level long enough to cause detectable frost damage to citrus and avocado crops, said Charley Wolk, second vice president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau.

Some growers, fearing the worst, prepared to break out grove heaters and turn on wind machines Thursday night and early this morning in hopes of staving off the damaging frost that was predicted. Others were prepared to take a risk and simply “guts it out and hope the Weather Service is wrong.”

“Sometimes the cure can be worse than the sickness,” Wolk said. “It’s getting so expensive to heat, it’s almost worth it to take the loss. Besides, heating is no guarantee you’re going to save the crop.”

As long as the temperature does not remain below freezing for several consecutive hours, the fruit and trees usually can survive without irreversible burns, said Ray Rinder, a county Agriculture Department spokesman. Grove managers and Agriculture Department representatives will assess the crop damages, if any, today, Rinder said.

A high-pressure system off the coast, which is partly responsible for the cold weather, will weaken later today, allowing clouds to cover San Diego skies and temperatures to rise a few degrees, said Wilbur Shigehara, a forecaster for the National Weather Service at Lindbergh Field.

There will be a few high clouds today in all areas of San Diego, with daytime temperatures of 57 to 62. Overnight lows in the coastal areas will be about 44 with inland lows from 29 to 35.

The shifting weather pattern will cause increasing cloudiness through Sunday with

a 30% chance of rain Sunday night and perhaps a dusting of snow in the mountains, Shigehara predicted.

Farmers were not the only ones to feel the ill effects of the cold overnight temperatures. Frost was evident on car windshields from Point Loma to Carlsbad early Thursday, Shigehara said. The low Thursday at Lindbergh Field was 44.

Unlike the unseasonably warm Januarys of the last two years, this January was marked by usually cool weather, Shigehara said. In 1983, the last five days of January had daytime temperatures in the 80s. By contrast, San Diegans have experienced daytime temperatures in the low 60s during those days this year.

In the mountains, skies will also be partly cloudy with highs between 30 and 40 degrees today and Saturday, and overnight temperatures dipping into the teens. The deserts will be clear with some gusty winds and highs in the 60s, with lows in the 40s through the weekend.