Citrus trees in the cold-hardy production region of the United States have already been exposed to sub-freezing temperatures in early 2026, and forecasts indicate that additional cold weather could increase damage over the coming days.
Mary Sutton, assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist at the University of Georgia, has been monitoring conditions in North Florida, South Georgia, and South Alabama following several days of freezing temperatures. She noted that symptoms are already visible in some orchards.
"I know with some of the sites I've been out to in the past couple of days, we're already seeing some freeze damage on younger trees and along the outer edges of canopies. I imagine it's only going to get worse this weekend," Sutton said. "It definitely seems like this cold snap is going to cause some damage."
The current situation has drawn comparisons with the Christmas freeze of 2022, which lasted four days. Temperatures across parts of the region have reached freezing or below throughout the week. Forecast data indicate that temperatures in Tifton, Georgia, could fall into the teens on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, with lows in the 20s expected again on Monday.
"The forecast is changing, pretty much every time I check, but I know we're expecting possibly upper teens, low 20s in places in South Georgia. If we stay at those temperatures for several hours, I think we'll definitely see some damage," Sutton said. "At least from what I've heard, everybody is implementing their freeze protection for this freeze event. Again, since the forecast is changing so much, it's hard to say for sure what's going to happen.
"It doesn't look like the lows are in the upper teens or low 20s every day. That might be our saving grace. But I think the few days we do drop that low are definitely going to hurt."
The potential impact on satsuma mandarins remains uncertain. Satsumas are the main citrus variety grown in the cold-hardy region due to their tolerance to low temperatures, but extended exposure to cold conditions may test those limits.
"Generally, we would think between 26 and 28 degrees is the cutoff. But the longer trees are exposed to cooler temperatures, the more they can acclimate and survive lower and lower temperatures. It would be very difficult to guess what that damaging temperature is going to be for this time of year," Sutton said.
Growers across the region are continuing to monitor forecasts and apply freeze protection measures as temperatures fluctuate.
Source: Citrus Industry
