Tag: weather

El Niño turned the chillers on. Now, growers across North America are scrambling to salvage the last bit of their fall season as production shifts to warmer climates.

Tropical Storm Norma made landfall Monday morning near the city of Culiacan, located in the Western Mexican state of Sinaloa.

While we were washing away our last few memories of COVID restrictions at IFPA, Hurricane Norma made landfall on the Southern tip of Baja California, Mexico, as a Category 1 storm and then again in Sinaloa as a tropical storm. Rain from the tropical system will impact growers in North and Central Mexico.

Active tropics are still plaguing fresh produce supply chains. Hurricane Lidia made landfall as a powerful Category 4 Hurricane off the Southwestern Coast of Mexico last week and was closely followed by Tropical Storm Max.

Mango plantations (and other crops) were greatly affected by heavy rainfall, generating very high humidity, to which was added high temperatures that have been between 2 and 3 degrees above the average of the last 20 years.

Over the weekend, the slow-moving tropical storm named Ophelia brought heavy rain to the Carolinas and Virginia. The storm delivered flooding and power outages to coastal communities.

Hurricane Lee, a powerful storm, is on the Atlantic horizon. Forecasters are still uncertain if the storm will stay offshore. Though not expected to impact major harvesting regions in the Southeast, this powerful major hurricane is worth watching for potential impacts in the Northeastern U.S. 

The California fresh fruit industry – like so many commodities in the Central Valley – has contended with a season unlike any we’ve seen in generations.

“Hurricane Idalia brought heavy rain, high winds and a dangerous storm surge to the Big Bend region of Florida," said Christina Morton, director of communications for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association on Sept. 1.

Hurricane Idalia dropped significant rain in Georgia and throughout the Southeast. Although Idaia made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, by the time the system reached Georgia, maximum wind gusts fell to 73 mph.