How historical trends in Florida all-citrus production correlate with devastating hurricane and freeze events

Florida's Citrus Belt is uniquely situated at the crossroads of tropical storms and hurricanes as they track across the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, towards the state of Florida. Our objective here is to consider the constraining effects of cold air outbreaks in combination with landfalling hurricanes on citrus production across Florida's Citrus Belt. A simple statistical box and whisker plot analysis was used to determine what measures of decline in all-citrus production could be deemed significant, highly significant, and within the bounds of normal season-to-season changes. Although hazardous weather is just one of many factors that have contributed to the overall decline in citrus production in Florida, it is one of the most influential. The constraining effects of both cold air outbreaks and tropical systems are worthy of the industry's attention. Historical data show that individual events of this nature can have significant effects, but when considered in combination across seasons, their occurrences reshape the borders of Florida's Citrus Belt and the Indian River District. Although local meteorologists are unsure as to whether events with such significant effects will occur this season, they are certain that extreme weather events like these will be observed again at some point in the future. Growers must be ready to withstand such destructive phenomena. Planning and preparation remain as crucial as ever.