Florida Freeze Damages as Much as 5% of Orange Crop

The lowest readings occurred in the state's western groves, while other parts of the citrus belt probably escaped damage, said Dale Mohler, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist. Tampa averaged 19 degrees below normal for Jan. 2 through yesterday, he said. Orange-juice futures plunged in New York on speculation that crop damage was less than expected.

This is "one of the longest stretches of chilly weather that Florida has ever seen," Mohler said. Orange-juice futures jumped 17 percent to a two-year high last week as the cold weather gripping other parts of the U.S. reached Florida.

"The western crop is where the damage happened," Mohler said from State College, Pennsylvania. "The east coast, it doesn't look like there was any damage there."

Oranges can be harmed when temperatures are below 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 degrees Celsius) for several hours or more. In the western third of the citrus belt, readings fell to an average 24 to 28 degrees, Mohler said.

Growers had "some success" with freeze-prevention measures that probably averted worse damage, Mohler said.

Florida Citrus Mutual, the largest trade group for orange producers, said members were still assessing fruit and tree damage.

"Complicating the issue is the sheer number of cold days we had in a row," Michael W. Sparks, the group's chief executive officer, said today in a statement sent by e-mail. "I can't remember anything like it."

The citrus industry in Florida, the world's biggest orange producer after Brazil, employs 76,000 people and generates about $9 billion in annual economic activity, according to the industry group.

In the central and eastern parts of the citrus belt, temperatures were 28 to 32 degrees, high enough to avoid fruit damage, AccuWeather's Mohler said.

"Anything that isn't harvested in the northern part of the belt, is probably damaged to some extent," said Pete Spyke, the owner of Arapaho Citrus Management Inc. "It's been awfully cold, awfully long."

Growers won't know how much damage has been done until a week or two later, Spyke said. He farms about 300 acres (121 hectares) of mostly orange and grapefruit trees.

Before today, orange-juice futures climbed 95 percent in the past 12 months, reaching $1.5115 a pound on ICE Futures U.S., the highest price for a most-active contract since January 2008. Early today, the price fell as much as 20 cents, the most allowed by the exchange.