Introduction:Affected by El Niño, Brazil’s winter has arrived earlier than usual this year. By mid-April, the southern regions had already experienced significant temperature drops and localized frost. Even worse, La Niña may strike in the second half of the year. This article will help you understand how weather changes impact coffee tree growth—especially the potential harm frost can cause to fruit quality and yield—as well as the preventive measures farmers can take.
Although Brazil is mainly located in the tropical zone of the Southern Hemisphere and theoretically doesn’t enter winter until June to September each year, this year, due to the disruption caused by El Niño, winter seems to have arrived early. On April 18, Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology issued an alert indicating that the first cold wave of 2024 would soon hit, initially affecting the southern regions, followed by the southeastern and central-western areas feeling the chill of the cold air.
It is expected that major cities including Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória will face significant temperature drops of over 10°C, with some areas seeing temperatures plunge to between 10°C and 17°C. More concerning is that the southern states such as Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and southern Paraná are already at risk of frost.
According to observational data from Epagri/Ciram, the meteorological monitoring agency of Santa Catarina, the minimum morning temperature in Bom Jardim da Serra, a mountainous city in the state, was only 1.95°C, while Urupema recorded just 2.52°C, triggering frost conditions. Civil defense authorities also issued warnings that local temperatures have dropped low enough to damage crops, especially in high-altitude and mountainous areas where some regions saw minimum temperatures fall below 5°C, posing a threat to sensitive crops like coffee.
In addition to short-term climate anomalies, the weather forecast for the coming months is equally worrying. According to the Climate Prediction Center of Brazil’s National Meteorological Institute, La Niña is very likely to form between June and August and may persist throughout the second half of the year. The arrival of La Niña typically brings reduced rainfall and lower temperatures in the southeastern regions, while the northeastern areas may face increased rainfall and humidity.
Experts warn that this kind of climate shift has particularly significant impacts on coffee-growing regions. When cold weather causes sudden temperature drops, the risk of frost damage to crops increases substantially. Frost not only directly damages the leaves and young shoots of coffee trees but can also affect the overall growth cycle, thereby threatening the yield and quality of coffee beans for the current and future harvests.
Botanical experts further explain that when frost occurs, the sharp drop in temperature causes the water inside plant cells to freeze, forming sharp ice crystals. These ice crystals can pierce cell membranes and walls, causing irreversible cellular damage. Even plant tissues in dormancy may suffer structural damage that prevents them from properly entering the growth or flowering stages. In addition, frost can also harm already-formed fruits, leading to deformities, cracked skins, and ultimately affecting the final quality of harvested coffee beans.
Historical cases also serve as a warning—back in 2021, Brazil experienced one of the most severe frost disasters in decades. At that time, not only were coffee-growing regions severely hit, but other important crops such as sugarcane and corn were also affected, leading to a sharp rise in the prices of sugar, corn, and coffee. Therefore, in the face of the upcoming potential extreme weather, Brazilian agricultural authorities have called on farmers to prepare preventive measures in advance, including covering for insulation, improving irrigation management, and selecting cold-resistant varieties, all aimed at reducing possible losses.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
