This Is What the Hudson Valley’s Spring Freeze Did to Apples

Historic Freeze Blankets The Hudson Valley in Spring 2026

Do you remember back in April 2026 when local farms across the Hudson Valley were scrambling to keep their crops safe from a deep freeze?

At the end of April Hudson Valley residents were given the heads up about low flying helicopters around orchards and farms in the area.

We learned that these helicopters were being used to cycle warm air around the apple trees as the cold temperatures were threatening to ruin the apple crop.

READ MORE: Cold Front Hits HV, Helicopters Used to Protect Fruit Crops

Some farms used helicopters, others used industrial sized fans and bon fires around the orchards. They were doing what ever it takes to keep their crops safe.

Unfortunately, the temperatures that week dipped below 27F degrees and caused some damage to the Hudson Valley apple crop.

Dressel Farms in New Paltz Shares The Result of Aprils Deep Freeze

Dressel Farms in New Paltz was hit rather hard during the spring freeze.

In May 2026, Dressel was starting to see how their crops fared after the freeze. At the time, they wrote on social media "morality rates vary drastically by variety because different varieties bloom at different times."

Adding "We're expecting about 15% of an apple crop."

Now that apple season is here, Dressel Farm wanted to give another update.

What Do Frost Damaged Apples Look Like?

On their social media pages, Dressel Farms shared the following photos with the caption:

This is frost damage

The post explains that the temperatures that night dropped to 21F for over 5 hours, which they say killed "75% of our fruit buds and blossoms."

Dressel Farms continues:

 Among the surviving apples many are showing scars from the cold. You can clearly see where the frost settled on the top of the newly-formed apple buds and damaged the cells. The brown "frost ring" is coarse and tough, kinda like sandpaper.

 

 

While these apples aren't available for picking, some of them will be put to good use. Dressel states that the apples will be used for making cider or "discarded entirely."

If you have the time and resources to do so, get out there and support your local farms!