Wasatch Mountain State Park cancels apple harvest after spring freeze
Built World Salt Lake City, UT localHistoric Huber Grove orchard loses most of its crop after a warm winter and late frosts.
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Overview
Updated 45 minutes agoThe apple harvest at Wasatch Mountain State Park's Huber Grove is off this year. The orchard's roughly 80 trees, some dating to the late 1800s, produced only a few hundred apples instead of thousands, so the park canceled its annual picking event.
The cause was a weather sequence, not a single storm. A record-warm winter and warm March pushed trees to bloom early; freezing nights in April and May killed the blossoms. State officials reported 95% to 100% losses across apricots, cherries, plums, peaches, pears, and apples, and Governor Spencer Cox declared an emergency in 10 counties.
Why it matters
Utah's 2026 fruit crop was nearly wiped out by a late freeze, canceling harvest events and cutting orchard income.
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
A Utah state park in Midway that manages the historic Huber Grove orchard.
The outreach arm of Utah State University; its horticulturists track and explain crop conditions for Utah growers.
Utah's executive branch, led by Governor Spencer Cox.
Timeline
January 2026 September 2026
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Apple harvest cancellation becomes public news
Today NewsKSL reports the cancellation; only five or six of the orchard's 80 trees have any apples.
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Park cancels Huber Grove apple harvest
Event CancellationWasatch Mountain State Park says the orchard has too few apples for its annual picking event.
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Cox declares state of emergency
GovernmentCox issues an emergency order for 10 counties after reported fruit losses of 95% to 100%.
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Late freezes kill blossoms and young fruit
WeatherMultiple nights of freezing temperatures in April and May damage orchards across Utah.
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Exceptionally warm March accelerates tree growth
WeatherUnusually high March temperatures push buds out ahead of the normal schedule.
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Record-warm winter sets up early growth
WeatherA warm winter and record-low snowpack leave fruit trees primed to bloom early.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
April 2007 Easter freeze
After an unusually warm March, a hard freeze struck the eastern United States from April 6 to April 9. It damaged peach, apple, and berry crops across at least a dozen states.
Farmers reported heavy losses, especially in Georgia and South Carolina peach orchards.
The event became a reference point for late-spring freeze risk after warm early springs.
It shows the same warm-then-cold pattern that wiped out Utah's 2026 fruit crop.
2012 Michigan fruit crop failure
Record March warmth caused Michigan fruit trees to bloom about three weeks early. A series of April freezes then killed blossoms across the state.
Michigan's tart cherry crop was nearly destroyed, and apple growers also reported major losses.
The episode pushed some growers toward crop insurance and frost-mitigation methods.
It is a modern example of a single weather swing ending an entire season for fruit growers.
