SPRING FROST IN THE PRIMORJE REGION, 8 APRIL 2003

Abstract

Spring frost in April 2003 affected the Littoral fruit growing region. On April 8, minimum air temperatures dropped below –5°C in the Goriška region, below –6 °C in the Vipava valley, and below –4°C in the Littoral region. The spring cold spell coincided with the frost-sensitive growing phase. Immense damage was caused to the peach, apricot, nut, cherry, and pear crops and to early varieties of apples and grapes. The affected area exceeded 1000 hectares of the fruit growing areas. Estimations of the yield loss were about 817 million Slovenian tolars. In the Littoral region, the spring frost in 2003 was the third in the last decade where the damage reached the limits of a natural disaster. The situation was similar to the spring frosts in 1997 and 1998. Due to expected climate changes and global warming, an earlier phenological development period is expected and the impact of frost on fruit production is expected to increase.