In 2026, orchards throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey faced record levels of fruit loss due to the extreme cold of the winter, late freezes, and wildly oscillating temperatures. In April our region experienced record heat, spurring an early bloom, followed by a freeze that killed many of the flowers that would have set into fruit in a more normal year. Current estimates suggest that Pennsylvania growers lost an average of between 70 to 90% of their annual fruit crop– particularly plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, and European pears.1 There were also reports of damage in some parts of Pennsylvania to more uncommon fruits like pawpaws, persimmons, and kiwiberries. In New Jersey, Governor Sherrill went so far as to declare a state of emergency due to the toll this winter took on crop production. Some estimates predicted 300 million dollars of losses for New Jersey farmers alone.2

Frost damaged plum blossoms on left. Frost damaged apricot blossoms on right.

Left: Frost damaged plum blossoms (photo credit; Leslie Mapes-Wade), Right: frost damaged apricot blossoms (Photo credit Sarah Wallace)

Threefold Farm in Mechanicsburg, PA, reported significant frost damage and crop impacts on uncommon fruits, including pawpaws, persimmons, and kiwiberries. (Photos: Tim Clymer)

While Philadelphia did see some damage to figs and other tender plants from the overall cold this winter, it seems spring blooms were not hit nearly as hard as orchards in surrounding suburban and rural areas.  The city did experience record-setting temperatures above 90 degrees on April 15 and 16, but only a low of around 34 degrees on the evening of April 21. This left fruit tree blooms largely undamaged and most orchards in the city have close to full fruit set, even on early blooming fruits like apricots and Japanese plums. But why are things different in the city? Likely, this discrepancy is at least partially attributable to the effects of urban heat island.

Urban heat island is an effect caused by the heat absorbent properties of cement, asphalt, and other impermeable surfaces combined and the much lower density of vegetation, especially mature trees.3 During daylight hours cement and asphalt function as heat sponges, absorbing energy from the sun instead of reflecting it like water does or being used like in how plants photosynthesize. This heat is not dissipated and is instead released back into the environment, increasing the temperature of the area. This effect is greatly exacerbated in areas without trees, which are capable of absorbing an impressive amount of heat in the process of photosynthesis. 

Studies have shown that urban heat island has wide reaching impacts on health and safety. Heat waves are among the deadliest of weather events, more so than hurricanes and other flashier disasters. Yet urban heat island and related phenomena have even greater implications than simply hotter days and nights and the associated dangers. Increased temperatures are correlated with increases in violent crime.4 The same is true for areas without green spaces: the presence of established street trees (which also counteract urban heat island by lowering temperature) have been shown to decrease prevalence of violent crime.5 Urban heat island and its management aren’t only health issues, they are issues of safety and community wellbeing. Furthermore, high income areas in Philadelphia are much more likely to have established street trees when compared with neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty.6 Different areas of Philadelphia have functionally different microclimates, created as a function of income and the legacy of redlining. At the end of the day urban heat island is a social justice issue. 

Apricots, plums, and peaches at the POP Learning Orchard at the Woodlands in 2026. Unlike much of the surrounding region, the urban heat island effect protected most fruit crops from frost damage.

So what does this have to do with fruit loss in the urban orchards of Philadelphia? Effectively, the urban heat island effect has created a different climate zone in the city, which in some years may benefit or protect fruit production; this is a silver lining to a challenge that otherwise has some severe negative impacts for city residents.  Unlike our rural counterparts, many POP sites and other urban orchards did not suffer nearly as much from this year’s harsh winter. This is part of a larger trend we’ve been observing and preparing for– functional separation of growing conditions within the city. As climate change progresses, what we are able to grow here changes. Many Mediterranean fruits are already growing around the city and we expect to be able to plant some hardy subtropical fruits outdoors within the decade ahead. You can read more about our experiments with zone 8 crops in our POP High Tunnel Update.  These same crops are often incapable of even surviving much less growing and fruiting in land that used to have the same climate as what is now Philadelphia. The trees are telling us the same thing that science is: urban heat island is changing the very climate of cities in serious and clearly observable ways.

Sources:

  1. Pennsylvania fruit growers face catastrophic losses after historic spring freeze
  2. New Jersey governor declares state of emergency after April freeze damaged significant portion of crops in stat
  3. Urban Heat Island: Mechanisms, Implications, and Possible Remedies
  4. Temperature, violent crime, climate change, and vulnerability factors in 44 United States cities
  5.  Street trees and crime: What characteristics of trees and streetscapes matter
  6. Philly’s low-income neighborhoods have fewer trees and the city’s free tree program isn’t helping

Further Reading on the Impact of this Winter and Spring on Fruit Production:

Further Reading on Urban Heat Island and Health Consequences of Extreme Heat:

This POP Blog was written by 2026 Summer Intern Helen Potts.

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