SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CA - Hard freeze warnings rippled through California’s San Joaquin Valley during Christmas week, putting citrus growers on alert.

Fortunately, however, while cooling temperatures continue, California Citrus Mutual said that the area continued to celebrate the holidays on a good note with no hard freeze occurring.

“Overall, conditions were ideal on Christmas night for the Valley's citrus crop,” the association reported in a press release, emphasizing that while weather stations told of temperatures hovering in the low 30s and upper 20s in some areas, durations at these low temperatures were very short and can be withstood by most citrus varieties with provided protection by water and wind machines.

Temperatures stayed above critical lows throughout the celebrations, with some areas of Kern County even reporting low temperatures in the 40s.

The Weather Advisory Service continues to keep the valley on alert, however, stating that lows could fall into the mid 20’s Tuesday through Thursday of this week and into next.

“A low pressure trough could move through Southern California Monday-Tuesday, Jan 4-5th. A more northern track of this trough could produce significant rain to the southern half of the valley,” the weather outlook states in regards to the first week of the new year.

AndNowUKnow will continue to keep a beat on the progress of the season as weather patterns continue to develop.

California Citrus Mutual