Farmers Worry About Cold Temperatures

SANTA BARBARA – The coldest temperatures we’ve seen all winter are coming to the tri-counties by the end of the week. Overnight lows in most areas will be near or below freezing for at least two nights.Local farmers are worried about their crops. Avocados and citris fruits in particular need warm weather.John Lane of Lane Farms says he doesn’t have any protection for his crops. “I don’t have wind machines or anything. At this point our strawberries are just starting to put out flowers so we’ll probably just lose the first set of berries.”Leafy vegetables are also easily damaged by frost.Agriculture experts say the longer temperatures stay cold overnight, the more damage we will see.For more on the forecast, head to the SkyTracker Weather page.