FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Valley citrus growers are preparing for a cold night as temperatures in the Fresno area are forecast to dip to 37 degrees, bringing the potential for frost.
“Tonight might be one of the first nights where we’re really looking at some freezing temperatures,” said Casey Creamer, president and CEO of California Citrus Mutual.
While the forecasted low is not expected to cause major damage, Creamer said growers will be on alert. “Not at a level that’s a major concern, but growers will be up; they’ll be watching the temperatures,” he said.
To protect crops, some farmers may run water in orchards or turn on wind machines to keep temperatures from dropping too low.
“Water will help keep the temperatures warmer in the orchards; also they might be turning on wind machines when it gets to a certain temperature,” Creamer explained.
Citrus trees can tolerate short periods of cold, Creamer said, but prolonged exposure below 28 degrees is worrisome.
“It’s a very fine line – below 32 you know, to 28 degrees, for shorter periods – we like that. You start to get below that and it starts to get a little bit more worrisome,” he said.
Despite the chill, Creamer noted the cold weather benefits the crop.
“Citrus trees, it sort of helps them sort of rest. It helps the fruit sort of, you know, rest and the trees rest, so we’ve been looking forward to that. It’s been a little bit later than normal, and so this is actually a really good thing,” he said.
The cold snap could have a greater impact on the region’s unhoused population.
Fresno city-run warming centers open when temperatures are forecast to drop below 35 degrees, typically from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., according to Fresno County’s website.
When those centers remain closed, some unhoused individuals resort to warming fires for heat.
Homelessness was a key topic in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address Thursday.
“Overall, homelessness in the state, in the United States of America, went up 18.13 percent last year. California, 2025, unsheltered homeless, 9 percent reduction first time in almost two decades,” Newsom said.
Matthew Dildine, CEO of the Fresno Rescue Mission, questioned the governor’s claim, calling it “highly suspect.”
He said some counties, including the one with the highest homeless rate per capita, did not submit any count.
“It supports the belief, that the best way to lower the homeless population is just to change how you count,” Dildine said.
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fresno County’s most recent point-in-time homeless count recorded more than 27-hundred unhoused individuals between Fresno and Madera.
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