SACRAMENTO, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!

Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see the latest around all growing regions.

FOUR DAYS OF RAIN TO HIT CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRIES

Look for production out of California to possibly be impacted all next week due to rain. The forecast is for back-to-back storms to move into California starting Sunday and remain at least through Christmas day. Look for daily rain totals to range between .25” to .50”.

If the growing areas of Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Irvine do receive the predicted rain, look for production to be curtailed and potential quality issues on product harvested next week.

Besides strawberries, these regions are currently producing celery, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, and other berries. You may want to load up on product later this week or over the weekend to avoid any quality issues after Christmas.

COOL DOWN FOR MEXICAN PERSIAN LIME REGION

Martinez de la Torre, Veracruz, the lime capital of the world, may see a decrease in production this week. A storm will come through the region today bringing up to .25” of rain and cooler temperatures for the remainder of the week.

Maximum temperatures which have been in the mid-80°s will cool to 71° today and will be 65° tomorrow. These cooler temperatures in the 60°s will remain through Saturday. Minimum temperatures, which were in the 70°s yesterday, will cool to the mid-50°s starting today and lasting through next Tuesday, Christmas Eve. These temperatures would be considered a cold snap for this part of the world.

These cooler temperatures, coupled with the Christmas season—which is notoriously a tough time for farm labor in Mexico—may lead to a further reduction of limes out of this region.

FLORIDA COOLDOWN STARTS TOMORROW

Florida temperatures the last week have seen highs in the upper 80°s and lows in the upper 60°s. This will change starting tomorrow as showers come through the area bring cooler temperatures. Expect maximum temperatures only in the mid-70°s through at least Christmas and minimum temperatures in the mid-50° to lower 60°s. There is more chance of rain for Saturday through Monday.

These cooler temperatures will hit the growing regions of Plant City, Immokalee, and Belle Glade. These are your major winter growing areas for everything from strawberries, vegetables, and tomatoes.

CALIFORNIA CITRUS SAW FREEZING TEMPERATURES LAST TWO NIGHTS

The last two nights in the citrus regions of the San Joaquin Valley saw minimum temperatures drop down to near freezing. The city of Visalia saw the minimum temperature on Sunday and last night get down to 33°. The minimum temperatures will remain in the 30°s through Friday. This should not affect the citrus production, but I wanted to bring it to your attention. This region of California is also expecting some rain next Monday through Wednesday.

Thank you as always! We will be back later this week with another report.

Weathermelon