How Fog and Rain Are Reshaping California’s Citrus Harvest

Last November, fog slipped over California’s Central Valley like a thick gray-white blanket. The bright and bustling citrus orchards dimmed. Mist drifted between the trees, and temperatures dropped to a chilly 45 degrees. Deprived of sunlight, the oranges and mandarins stopped growing. Then, they started falling from their branches.

If you noticed a shortage of citrus in your fruit deliveries or local grocery stores in January, that weather is a big reason why. The dense tule fog (named for a local plant) lasted 20 days straight in some areas. Afterward, the Central Valley swung between record rainfall, surprisingly warm temperatures, and even more foggy days.

These big swings have been tough on the trees and their fruit. Some farmers lost 30–40% of their citrus crops, according to a report from the produce supply company PRO*ACT.

Weather Damage Varies Across Central Valley Orchards

Weather is hyper-local, so some Central Valley farms fared better than their neighbors. At Bee Sweet Citrus in Fowler, California, fruit salesman Marcus Marderosian told The FruitGuys that his family’s acreage doesn’t look like the alarming pictures he’s seen of orchards carpeted with fallen citrus. They’ve had some fruit drop, but it could have been worse.

“We haven’t been affected too much, and where we have, we’ve navigated it and been able to move things around to ensure there’s not too much of an interruption to the supply chain,” he said.

When we spoke on January 22, Bee Sweet’s team was harvesting pummelos, Golden Gem grapefruits, and Royal Red ® oranges in foggy orchards.

How Fog Can Harm Fresh Citrus

Fog is concerning for citrus growers because, on top of slowing growth, it makes fruit more susceptible to decay and trickier to pick.

“Mold spores can travel via the fog onto other pieces of fruit,” Marcus explained. “On top of that, with it being foggy, the weather is a little wetter. Typically, we don’t like to pick wet fruit because that could damage the rind on the outside and cause staining, so the quality would go down a bit.”

The Bee Sweet team works hard to time the harvest just right, when the orchards are as dry as possible.

Southern California Citrus Groves Escape Bad Weather

The Central Valley is California’s main citrus-growing region. But other parts of the state also grow delicious fruit, and they’ve had completely different weather conditions. In Riverside, California, farmer Vince Bernard of Bernard Ranch said it’s been business as usual in his orange, mandarin, and grapefruit groves.

“It’s pretty much been normal. We had warm weather and then a really good cold snap,” he said, adding that the cold helped the fruit color up. Only one rainstorm came through Riverside, and Vince was grateful for it.

“It made the fruit look nice and clean. The rain plumps it up a little bit and washes the salt out of the ground,” he said. As a result, his Kishu, Satsuma, Perfection, and Daisy mandarins “look beautiful this year.”

In Ojai, California, the weather has been more of a mixed bag. Farmer Emily Ayala of Friend’s Ranches told The FruitGuys that she’s lost about 8–10% of her citrus crops to a combination of 20–30 inches of rain, warm weather, and wind. That’s not great, but it’s not terrible, either.

“I’ve seen pictures of some of the crops up in the Central Valley, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, I can’t complain about my few navels on the ground!’” she said.

In fact, Emily has larger crops of W. Murcott tangerines and Lee tangerines than she’s had in years past, when the weather was worse. And her famous Ojai Pixie tangerines—which should be ready to harvest in March—already taste delicious.

“Overall, our citrus crop set is really nice this year,” she said.

What This Means for California Citrus Lovers

What happens on all of these farms has a direct impact on the fruit you see at the grocery store and in your office fruit bowl. Here are a few ways the weather may impact your citrus.

• Shorter Supply – There will be fewer mandarins and other citrus fruits available in some areas because of how many were lost in the orchards.

• Higher Prices – When supply falls below demand, prices go up, so you could see higher costs at the grocery store. (At The FruitGuys, we absorb these costs for our customers, so our fruit box prices will stay the same.)

• Larger Fruit – Fruit takes up more water when it rains, and that makes it grow larger. Smaller-sized fruit will be harder to find this year.

• Less “Perfect” Fruit – Fog and rain can cause cosmetic imperfections in fruit, like blotchy brown water stains on its skin. That means you may see less “perfect” fruit this season, but don’t worry—these “flaws” are only surface-level. The fruit still tastes great!

“We’re still adding high-quality citrus fruits to our office fruit mixes, but this season has definitely been more challenging. Prices are up, and some favorites like Minneola tangelos have been hard to source this year,” said Marcela Rosero, a produce buyer for The FruitGuys who works directly with California farms. “Weather is one of the biggest variables our farmers face every year, but resilience is part of who they are. As they work through this challenge, we’ll keep supporting them and delivering their delicious fruit.”

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