ORANGE COUNTY FREEZES AGAIN

California, including Orange County, has had another disastrous cold spell. Pictured is Irvine Park on Jan 7, 2007.

I remember when it snowed in Fullerton in the winter of '48. We were making snowballs at recess at Wilshire Jr. High. I was teased for bringing the cold weather as I had just returned from an over-long summer vacation in South Dakota.

Epic freezes in O.C.

1913: The first week of January, several nights of lows in the 20s (some farmers reported 18 degrees) resulted in damage to 60 percent of the county citrus crop. Trees not saved by smudge pots were lost when they froze and split open.

1937: The devastating Freeze of 1937. It was the coldest month in the county's history. Overnight temperatures were at or below freezing for 21 of January's 31 days. On Jan. 21, the mercury plunged to 18 degrees at Irvine Ranch – the lowest temperature ever officially recorded in the county. Children skated on a frozen Santiago Creek. Growers spent night after night in their groves with smudge pots, but frost still wiped out an estimated 30 percent of the area's $3.5 million orange and avocado crop.

1990: One of the most devastating freezes ever to hit the state's citrus industry, with losses topping $800 million. The chill destroyed fruit and trees, requiring two years for the industry to recover. A state of emergency was declared in 17 counties; a federal disaster was declared in 31 counties. Few citrus farmers possessed crop insurance, with about 160 paying $8 million in premiums. Some $9.1 million in state and federal aid was approved for farm workers.

1998: Four freezing nights in December destroyed 80 percent of the crop, a loss of $700.4 million in fruit, but left trees relatively unharmed. The president issued a disaster declaration for Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Tulare and Ventura counties. More than 85 percent, or 3,000, citrus farmers were insured, paying $114 million in premiums. A $9.1 million grant for disaster relief for farm workers was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.