The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Severe Freezes and Their Impact on the Avon Park Citrus Economy

The citrus industry in Avon Park and the surrounding Lake Wales Ridge region owes both its early expansion and some of its most severe contractions to Florida’s recurrent hard freezes.

The Migration of the Citrus Belt

Prior to the Great Freeze of 1894–1895, the majority of Florida’s citrus was grown in North and Middle Florida, with Marion County serving as the primary shipping hub. The 1895 disaster wiped out nearly the entire industry in that region, destroying an estimated four million boxes of fruit on the tree. In the aftermath, few northern groves were replanted. Instead, growers relocated the citrus belt significantly southward, recognizing the climatic advantages of the central ridge and southern counties. This shift drove the agricultural development of the “Ridge Region” of Polk and Highlands counties, which eventually produced over one-third of all Florida citrus.[fcit-fruit]

The Twenty-Two Year Cycle and Major Freezes

Meteorological data indicates a roughly 22-year cycle of “killer frosts” striking Florida, with landmark freezes occurring in 1895, 1917, 1940, 1962, and 1985.[waylen-1988] Critical damage to citrus occurs when temperatures fall below 28°F for six hours or longer. While Avon Park’s topography offered better cold protection than the northern counties, it was not immune to these extreme arctic outbreaks.

Significant freeze events recorded at Avon Park include:

  • December 1894: 24°F
  • December 1934: 21°F
  • January 1940: 26°F
  • November 1941: 21°F (from previous hazardous weather records)
  • February 1958: 23°F
  • December 1962: 24°F
  • January 1977: 21°F (Severe arctic outbreak, climaxing one of the coldest winters recorded in the eastern United States)
  • January 1981: 18°F
  • January 1982: 19°F
  • December 1983: 23°F
  • January 1985: 21°F (Avon Park experienced its greatest daily temperature range on record on January 21, 1985, a massive 53°F drop)
  • December 1989: 20°F
  • January 1997: 24°F

Note on Historical Documentation: The U.S. Weather Bureau’s Florida Climatological Tables were printed in full in the early Florida Department of Agriculture Biennial Reports (e.g., 1919–1920, 1921–1922, 1923–1924, 1926–1928), recording observations for Avon Park in the Southern Division (such as a January 26 last spring frost in 1927). However, starting with the 1928–1930 report, detailed station-by-station tables were omitted. For the major freezes that mattered later in the 20th century (1934, 1940, 1958, 1962, etc.), these specific state agriculture reports no longer serve as a source for the climatological tables, requiring reliance on NOAA Climate Data Online (CDO) for the Avon Park 2 W station (COOP ID: 080369) which has data dating back to 1892.[noaa-cdo][agr-biennial]

The 1980s Disasters

The unprecedented series of four tree-killing freezes in the 1980s severely disrupted the local economy. The freeze of December 1983 resulted in five Florida counties being declared federal disaster areas.[florida-flambeau-1985]

The freeze of January 21–23, 1985, proved especially devastating. Avon Park experienced its greatest daily temperature range on record on January 21, 1985, a massive 53°F drop.[noaa-extreme-weather] The Florida Citrus Commission ordered a seven-day embargo on the sale and processing of citrus, followed by a 14-day shipping ban on freeze-damaged fruit.[waylen-1988] A massive salvage operation was launched in the Central Florida citrus belt, employing workers for two to six weeks to harvest freeze-damaged crops before they spoiled.[florida-flambeau-1985]

However, once salvage operations concluded, the agricultural sector faced massive unemployment. By early February 1985, state officials estimated that 150,000 farmworkers were left jobless across Florida, prompting the Governor’s Emergency Task Force to seek disaster unemployment assistance.[florida-flambeau-1985]

Replanting efforts after the 1980s freezes were further hampered by the discovery of citrus canker. The bacterial disease, the next major disaster to hit Florida’s citrus industry, was first discovered in an Avon Park nursery in 1984.[waylen-1988]

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. University of Florida Scholarship Repository, Florida Law Journal Article (Excerpt referencing freezes) (1989) · secondary
  2. Matthew Volkmer, FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER BY DAY (to 1994) (1994) · official
  3. Extreme Weather Watch / NOAA, Avon Park Weather Records (2022) · official
  4. Moni Basu, In wake of freeze officials seek aid for farmworkers (1985) · newspaper
  5. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, Exploring Florida Documents: Fruit (2022) · secondary
  6. NOAA, NOAA Climate Data Online (CDO) (2026) · official
  7. Florida Department of Agriculture, Biennial Report of the Department of Agriculture of the State of Florida (1928) · official

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