The Florida orange crop to avoid 'freezing overnight Killer'

Florida orange crop, the largest in the U.S., can be saved by a "murderer" frost overnight, with temperatures around 4 am local time near to freezing, said Jim Dale, senior meteorologist in the British weather services.

Temperatures near Orlando in central Florida were about minus 1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit), while Tampa was 1.3 degrees Celsius, Dale, said today by telephone. Any damage to the orange crop may be "at the lower end of the scale," he said.

The orange juice futures, rose to the highest since May 2007 in New York yesterday after Florida declared a state of emergency amid a severe cold and the chances of damage to crops. Gov. Charles Crist said "extreme temperatures", threatened the state with a "major disaster."

"Right now we are not at the levels of murderer," said Dale in High Wycombe, England-based forecaster. "We hope the damage will not be as catastrophic as it might have been. An early call suggests that it is at the lower end of the scale."

The fruit can be damaged when temperatures fall below 28 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours, according to AccuWeather Inc.

In Deltona, north of Orlando, temperatures were minus 2 degrees Celsius, while in Tallahassee least 2.8 degrees Celsius at 4 am, said Dale.

"Around freeze '

"It is around freezing and around Orlando, above a bit more in Tampa," said the forecaster. "Further north is colder, but it's around freezing.'re Losing one degree for every 50 miles (80 kilometers)."

"For the main central belt, we have a couple of hours to go, but are not necessarily going much lower," said Dale.

Some areas of Florida may be subject to freezing through December 15, Crist said in a statement on Dec. 10, citing National Weather Service forecast.

Orange juice for January delivery rose 4 percent to $ 1.6695 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York yesterday, after jumping by the exchange limit of 10 cents to $ 1.706, the highest since May 9, 2007. The product has gained 29 percent this year amid concerns that bad weather might damage forests in Florida.

"We are on the brink of a problem, but not quite, not yet," said Dale. "I do not think we are quite to the depths that some people expected."

Florida produced 143 million boxes of oranges in the harvest that began in October and extends through July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on 10 December. That was down from an October estimate of 146 million boxes.

Last year, production was 133.6 million boxes, the second smallest crop in two decades, after a January freeze damaged fruit. Brazil is the largest producer of orange.