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80 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, July 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 24, 2004 Rain likely to break us out of warm weather By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Two weeks of near-record temperatures have pushed pear trees toward an early bloom, raising concerns that a sudden cold spell could damage fruit crops. "We can pretty much assume we’re going to have more frost," said Bill Eckart, spokesman for the Jackson County Fruit Growers League. Eckart said the warm weather also makes the trees more vulnerable to fire blight, a bacterial disease that spreads quickly and can be controlled only by removing infected wood and burning it. People who know how to identify fire blight have been walking the orchards to spot early outbreaks and remove infected limbs, Eckart said. He noted that warm weather in March is not uncommon in Southern Oregon, but trees are about nine days ahead of their normal blooming schedule, which falls around the second week in April. "If it stays warm, then they get 10 or 12 days ahead," he said. The earlier the bloom, the more nights orchardists have to protect their fruit from frost. Windmills give a few degrees protection by moving the cold air that pools on the valley floor. If temperatures drop further, orchards have to be heated. Advertisement Pear trees were about nine days ahead of schedule last year at this time, too, Eckart said. Daily temperatures have soared 10 to 15 degrees above the normal average high every day since March 7, said Larry Jacobs of the National Weather Service office in Medford. Thermometers climbed above 70 degrees on March 7 and returned to the 70s every day except one (March 19) until Monday. Tuesday’s high was 66 degrees — still 7 degrees above Medford’s normal average high for March 22. Orchardists are concerned about frost because cold nights can occur well into April. With Medford’s average low temperature for April 1 a chilly 36 degrees, temperatures can easily fall well below freezing on the first clear night after a storm. Flower clusters on fruit trees become increasingly susceptible to frost as they open and bloom. Tightly closed buds might survive 26 degrees but that temperature can freeze opened blossoms or tiny fruit. Southern Oregon’s long stretch of balmy weather could end as early as today, but Jacobs said rain is more likely tonight, Thursday and Friday. Daytime temperatures will drop back into the 50-degree range that’s typical for March, at least while the storm moves through. Jacobs said the warm, dry spell developed when a pool of stagnant high-pressure air settled over the region. "Nothing’s been moving," he said, including an "enormous" low pressure system in the northern Pacific that spawned several small storms that bypassed Southern Oregon. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times