April 2022 Washington Frost Update

With the unfortunate freezing temperatures that occurred recently in Washington, many growers are evaluating the potential damage to this year's crop.

April 2022 Frost Update

The map below shows areas in Washington that are most vulnerable to frost damage from the freeze that hit the state during the first half of April.

The color scale on the right shows the number of hours an area experienced average temperatures below 32°F from April 3rd to 18th. The temperature measurements are taken by Semios in-canopy weather stations that capture readings every 10 minutes.

A map showing the number of hours an area experienced average temperatures below 32°F from April 3rd to 18th. The darker blue areas indicate regions with higher frost damage risk compared to the lighter blue areas.

Critical Temperatures for Frost Damage

Temperatures of concern when it comes to frost damage will depend on the crop and its stage of development. As the buds on the tree develop, they become more vulnerable to cold damage.

The table below shows the temperature (°F) that will cause 10% and 90% bud kill after 30 minutes of exposure in apples, pears, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums across the different stages of development.

View and download the table from USU (Utah State University) Extension

Data Support For Insurance Claims

To help make filing frost damage insurance claims as easy as possible, Semios is here to support our customers with their data needs.

Here are examples of reports we can help provide:

• Historical temperatures across your ranch (from in-canopy weather stations and per-acre Semios pheromone dispensers that measure temperatures every 10 minutes)
• Historical frost fan run times (for Altrac wind machine control users)
• Irrigation run times during frost events (for Semios users with pressure transducers installed)
• Other custom data requests

Please reach out to your account manager with your data request or fill out the form below: