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North Lake Bracing For Christmas Freeze

    North Lake County residents spent the early part of this week prepping for frigid temperatures that are expected to dip below freezing for up to three nights in a row. With lows potentially dropping into the mid 20's in some areas, and daily highs Friday through Sunday not expected out of the 40's as of press deadline Tuesday, this year is expected to be the coldest Christmas in well over a decade.
    While residents considered the need to cover pumps and fragile outdoor plants, the area’s governments and agricultural interests were busy taking measures to protect services and crops. Lake County government on Tuesday was beginning the process of finalizing plans to open shelters during the freeze.
    In Umatilla, public works employees were seen on Tuesday insulating exposed water lines around town in case temperatures hit the low end of forecasts, part of securing the city’s water system ahead of a potential freeze.
    Area farmers were out and about early in the week, also, inspecting crops and taking steps should temperatures dip to freezing, or worse.
    “I wouldn’t be shocked to see 27 or 28 (degree lows),” said Kris Sutton of Faryna Grove Care and Harvesting on Tuesday.  Sutton was in the Weirsdale area inspecting citrus groves and gearing up for the best response depending on the exact conditions surrounding the freeze.
    “They are calling for some wind,” Sutton said, which complicates the practice of running sprinklers on citrus trees during freezes.  Not only does water get pushed away from the trunks of trees if there is wind, but wind and water can actually cause temperatures around trees to be even lower than if no water was run at all. 
    Sutton said he is expecting to see some new growth on trees get damaged by the cold, but is hoping this year's citrus crop, much of which is still on trees, will be spared serious damage.
    “All of our navels are picked, so we are alright there, but if it gets too bad we’ll be trying to pick fruit as fast as we can.”
    The area’s spring peach crop could be impacted by the freeze, as some trees have started to bloom earlier than normal. Additionally, the current strawberry crop could be damaged should temperatures get too cold.
    “The peaches, I only have about 1/2 of mine blooming,” said Michael Graham, who oversees the Umatilla area’s largest peach operation at Graham Farms.  “They shouldn’t be blooming right now anyway, so I’m not worried about that too much.”
    However, Graham’s U-Pick operation in Altoona could be more severely impacted.
    "This will be a live-and-learn deal up here, especially with these strawberries," Graham said.  He was spending Tuesday picking ripe berries in advance of the freeze, and said he plans to run water over the weekend in hopes of protecting the plants.  He, too, worries about wind blowing water away from plants, as the insulating freezing water might be needed to preserve tender berries from getting so cold they are lost. As this is the first year for the U-Pick operation in Altoona, Graham said it will be interesting to see how the strawberries, kale, and other plants fare in the weather.  But only the strawberries will be watered.
    “We’ll ice them down, and see what happens.”