Western U.S. Hit by Cold and Ice

Daily India.com

January 13, 2006

From the orange and lemon groves of Southern California to the highways of Oklahoma and Missouri, the western United States struggled with wintry weather.

The National Weather Service posted a freeze warning for prime agricultural areas in California. Winter storm warnings and ice storm warnings covered areas from Texas to Illinois.

In California, where temperatures along the coast usually range from mild to hot in the winter, the state emergency director warned residents on the dangers of freezing temperatures, advising them to wear hats and scarves and layers of warm clothing outdoors.

For many residents, the warning was an unusual inconvenience -- a signal to move potted plants inside and watch out for pets, the Los Angeles Times reported. But for farmers, for the homeless and those without adequate heat, especially the elderly, the freeze could be a matter of life and death or economic survival.

Alex Teague, president of Limoneira, a major lemon producer, and a fifth-generation farmer, said this year's crop could be a write-off if the low temperatures last long enough.

"If you are at 25 degrees longer than four or five hours, you can mainly try to protect the tree so it will bloom again next year," he said.

In Colorado, ranchers already hit by several major winter storms were trying to protect cattle from single-digit temperatures, the Rocky Mountain News said. In Missouri and Oklahoma, newspapers reported ice-slicked highways with several deaths blamed on the weather.