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Great Freeze
The Great Freeze was a period of back-to-back freezes during the winter of 1894–95 in the Southern United States, particularly notable for destroying much of the citrus crop in Northern Florida.
Entire communities, such as Earnestville, faded after the citrus crops and trees were lost to the two unusually cold-weather patterns of the winter season.
Orlando reached an all-time record low of 18 °F (−8 °C) on December 28, 1894, which still stands.
In the second cold wave (1895), West Palm Beach recorded an all time record low (since broken) of 27 °F (−3 °C) on February 9, 1895.
A snowstorm produced unprecedented snowfall amounts along the Gulf Coast, including 20 inches (51 cm) in Houston, Texas.
Snow fell as far south as Tampico, Mexico, within the Tropic of Cancer, the lowest latitude in North America that snow has been recorded at sea level.
Two freezes occurred in northern Florida during this catastrophic season, the first in December 1894 and the second in February 1895. The first did not actually kill many mature trees, but did set the stage for new growth during the warm month that followed. So, when the second, harder freeze came a few months later, the effects were even more devastating. All varieties of fruit (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes) froze on the trees, and bark split from top to bottom. These effects were felt as far south as the Manatee River, south of Tampa.
By 1895, Florida's abundant citrus groves had extended into North Florida, and the state was producing as much as six million boxes of fruit per year.[further explanation needed] After the Great Freeze, however, production plummeted to just 100,000 boxes and did not break the one-million-box mark again until 1901. As a result, land values also dropped in the citrus-growing areas from $1,000 (equivalent to $39,000 in 2025) per acre to as little as $10 (equivalent to $390 in 2025) per acre. Many compared the economic impact of the Great Freeze on Florida to the effects of the Great Fire on the city of Chicago.
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Great Freeze
The Great Freeze was a period of back-to-back freezes during the winter of 1894–95 in the Southern United States, particularly notable for destroying much of the citrus crop in Northern Florida.
Entire communities, such as Earnestville, faded after the citrus crops and trees were lost to the two unusually cold-weather patterns of the winter season.
Orlando reached an all-time record low of 18 °F (−8 °C) on December 28, 1894, which still stands.
In the second cold wave (1895), West Palm Beach recorded an all time record low (since broken) of 27 °F (−3 °C) on February 9, 1895.
A snowstorm produced unprecedented snowfall amounts along the Gulf Coast, including 20 inches (51 cm) in Houston, Texas.
Snow fell as far south as Tampico, Mexico, within the Tropic of Cancer, the lowest latitude in North America that snow has been recorded at sea level.
Two freezes occurred in northern Florida during this catastrophic season, the first in December 1894 and the second in February 1895. The first did not actually kill many mature trees, but did set the stage for new growth during the warm month that followed. So, when the second, harder freeze came a few months later, the effects were even more devastating. All varieties of fruit (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes) froze on the trees, and bark split from top to bottom. These effects were felt as far south as the Manatee River, south of Tampa.
By 1895, Florida's abundant citrus groves had extended into North Florida, and the state was producing as much as six million boxes of fruit per year.[further explanation needed] After the Great Freeze, however, production plummeted to just 100,000 boxes and did not break the one-million-box mark again until 1901. As a result, land values also dropped in the citrus-growing areas from $1,000 (equivalent to $39,000 in 2025) per acre to as little as $10 (equivalent to $390 in 2025) per acre. Many compared the economic impact of the Great Freeze on Florida to the effects of the Great Fire on the city of Chicago.