IRVINE, 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.

EXTREME WEATHER CONTINUES IN ARGENTINA

Blueberry growing regions of Argentina continue to see extreme weather changes which may lead to production and quality issues.

The last several days has seen unusually hot weather with maximum temperatures in the upper 90°s. Tomorrow will be the hottest day of the heatwave with a high of 101° and a low of 81°.

A storm will come through the region on Sunday and Monday bringing over 2.00” of rain and dropping the temperatures. By Tuesday, temperatures will only see a high of 65° and lows in the 40°s and 50°s depending upon exact location. Temperatures will begin to warm again next Thursday, but will only reach into the 70°s.

Please check with shippers to see if weather will be an issue. These continued temperature swings over the last several weeks of 25 to 30 degrees from one day to the next is not the best for fruit production.

MICHIGAN TEMPERATURES TO DROP 25 DEGREES OVERNIGHT

Michigan’s growing season, which has continued longer than normal this year due to the unusually warm temperatures, might finally be coming to an end. Today, many growing regions in the state will see a cold front come through, bringing rain and much colder temperatures.

Regions, which only yesterday saw a high of 73° and a low of 60°, tomorrow will see a high of 48° and a low of 43°. These colder temperatures will continue through next week. Next Monday, the low will be into the 30°s.

Although Michigan has pretty much wrapped its season for all commodities, there are still a few growers still shipping tomatoes and celery. These colder temperatures could finally stick a fork in the Michigan summer season.

OXNARD, CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCING HIGH WINDS

Santa Ana winds hit the growing region of Oxnard yesterday and today. Sustained winds are above 30 mph and temperatures are warm with highs in the mid-80°s and lows in the 60°s.

Bell peppers and strawberries are coming out of this region right now. You may want to talk to shippers to see if the wind will cause any quality issues.

COLD NIGHTS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY HAS BEGUN

The cold temperatures we talked about on Tuesday have materialized. Last night was the first night of the cooling trend with a low of 44° in Stockton and 46° in Tracy. The nightly lows will remain in the 40°s through Monday of next week, but even so, temperatures will only rise by a few degrees for the rest of the week. Expect lows to remain in the low 50°s and some 40°s through the end of next week.

Mature green tomatoes, cantaloupes, and honeydew melons are still coming from this region. Expect a slowdown of remaining production.

HURRICANE CENTRAL

In the Pacific, there is a large area of thunderstorms several hundred miles southwest of the coast of southwestern Mexico associated with a trough of low pressure. A tropical depression is likely to form over the weekend as a storm moves northwest at 5-10 mph. There is a 90 percent chance for a cyclone forming over the next 5 days.

In the Atlantic, things are quiet with no major storms on the horizon.

OTHER LOCATIONS

If you have any special location requests for which you would like an update, please email us your requests. We will include in our future reports.

Thank you as always for your support. We will be back next week with another report.

Weathermelon