The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1931-04-23
FROST DAMAGE
NOTSOS SERIOUS
AS FIRST THOT
Many Orchards Come Thru
Severe Storm with Little
Damage; Wind Plays Havoc
Throughout Valley

Weather has been the unfailing
topic of conversation this week
among local citizens. The freakish
conditions have set every pronos-
tication to naught and raised hob
generally thruout a wide area.
A northeast gale brought clouds
of dust and destruction with it, as
well as q spell of freezing wealth
er. Three days of steady blowing,
however, has hurt the Kennewick
district less than other sections Of
the state at that.
The storm started Saturday
night when the temperature drop
ped to "a in some spots, killing
much Of the unprotected soft fruit
and in spots, doing considerable
damage to the apple crop.
A general survey Of conditions
reveals that the unprotected soft
fruits are gone, tho the trees that
had heat seem to have come thru
with no particular damage. 1t APP
pears that there is about a % per
cent loss in the total apple crop
Of the district. This in considera-
ton of the fact that some orchards
are suffering a complete loss,
while others still carry a hundred
per cent crop. On the west High
lands seems the most severe dam
age, where % ito 35 percent of
the apples were killed. On the south
Highlands many orchards still car
nv full crop. In the lowlands Of
the valley early potatoes were nip
ped and the asparagus was laid
low.
Reports reaching here indicate
that the destruction was even worse
farther UP the valley. At Prosser
minimum Of % was reached two
nights in succession. Aroun d
Grandview the apples, generally,
were killed, as they were in the
Sunnyside district, according to re-
ports. At Zillah the damage was
not SO great, while at Yakima, ev-
en- tho the same temperatures were
recorded, they claim no serious
damage.
The high wind, carrying its bur-
den of dust and sand, played havoc
in nearby sections. One car was
stalled between Pasco and Cornell
for four hours by the binding
clouds Of dust. The high wind blew
off roofs and uprooted trees in
nearly all the adjacent towns. In
deed, portions of the roofs Of the
two warehouses west of Kennewick
were torn off by the wind. In Sc
attic so dense was the dust that
street lights were turned on yes
terday and traffic was almost halt
ed.
However, in the face of the dis
agreeable conditions. growers here
Ioped that the wind would continue
as it did, thruout the night last
night, for conditions were propi-
tious, according to the weather
man, for a fine freeze, should the
gale die down. The wind continued
to blow until today, and the AL
vance report is that there will be
no danger from frost tonight.
One prominent apple grower
gave US the following summary
of the freeze the early part of the
week: Romes. not hurt: Jonathans
slightly injured in certain spots;
Delicious, in low and unfavorable
locations, ruined: Winesaps, hurt,
generally, but the full degree Of
damage cannot be determined Tor
another month. 1t is thought that
the low dew point. combined with
the fact that polarization had al
ready taken place. would cause the
fruit to grow in spite of the fact
that the petals were frozen. Cen
eral damage thruout the district,
according to District Inspector +.
r. Griner. will be about Is to 20
per cent.