Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BY GREG BROWN, Times-Union Staff Writer And AP Report
It snowed last night and this morning.
As a result, conversations took place to determine which southern state would be the best habitat, while robins and daffodils wondered if they had arrived too soon.
But all discussions concluded that this is Indiana, and this is Indiana weather.
Area produce farmers know that April weather is unpredictable and are thankful not to have been early in planting their crops.
The weather has not bothered the Christmas trees at Slater's Fruit Market, South Main Street, Sidney. "The new growth on the Christmas tree are still in the dormant stage, and none of the cold would damage that," said Barbara Slater.
But it may have injured some apple trees.
"Our son has a quite a few apple trees planted and they were just starting to form their buds," said Slater. She said the recent cold spell also may have damaged some cherry trees.
Fruit farmers, mostly across the Midwest, took drastic and innovative measures to save their crops from the unseasonably cold temperatures this week.
Like Slater's, though, most area producers aren't suffering from the cold weather yet.
"It's usually in May when we really get into it; if we plant too early in April it always ends up freezing out," said Sue Wade, of Wade's Village Farm Market, North CR 800N, Warsaw.
Some gardeners may have already planted their onion sets, which are hardy enough to handle the cooler temperatures, said Wade. "I think your onions and your lettuce and your peas, maybe, but usually it is just a little bit warmer," she said.
Record lows were felt across much of the northern half of the nation yesterday, with Minot, N.D., dipping to minus 5 degrees. Muskegon, Mich., broke a 37-year-old record when temperatures fell to 14 degrees; Dickinson, N.D., plunged to 9; Miles City, Mont., reached 12; Pittsburgh chilled at 18; and at Snowshoe and Davis, W.Va., it was 8 degrees.
In Ohio alone, record lows were reported this morning in Cleveland (20), Akron (18), Youngstown (17) and Columbus (20). Dayton's low today was 23.
Associated Press reports that Ohio fruit farmers sell about $25 million worth of apples each year and $4 million apiece in strawberries and peaches. The April cold snap has generated a sometimes fruitless effort to protect the crops.
Peace Valley Orchards in Rogers was using giant wind machines to blow warmer air over the peach, apple, plum and cherry trees. Farmer Dan Simmons said it's too early to assess damage because blooms are frozen.
Monnin Fruit Farm estimates it lost 50 percent to 70 percent of the peach crop. "This is the worst I've ever seen," Monnin said.
Bob MacQueen, owner of the 250-acre MacQueen's Orchard in Toledo, said up to 90 percent of his large apple blooms were lost.
"We're not out of business, but we're injured," he said.
Otho Lewis, owner of Lewis Bros. orchards in West Virginia's eastern panhandle, said crops were damaged because the cold weather followed several weeks of temperatures in the 60s and 70s that caused peach trees to bloom early.
Spring will be returning to Indiana over the next few days - slowly.
The National Weather Service is calling for periods of thunderstorms and showers tonight with lows in the 40s and 50s.
The rain is expected to end Saturday morning in central and southern Indiana. Highs should be in the middle 40s and 60s, though they're expected to fall during the afternoon.
Sunday and Monday are predicted to be partly cloudy and quite cool. Lows should be in the middle 20s to middle 30s, and highs are expected to top out in the 40s.
