Late frost ices over French vineyards, threatens fruit crops

By THIBAULT CAMUS
Associated Press

CHABLIS, France (AP) — French vintners are lighting candles to thaw their grapevines to save them from a late frost following a mild winter. The temperature swing is threatening fruit crops in multiple countries in western Europe. Ice coated vines as towns like Chablis in Burgundy woke Monday to temperatures of minus 5 C (23 F). Vintners and other fruit growers are particularly worried because the vines had already started budding amid a late winter warm spell. That could disrupt the whole growing season. A similar phenomenon happened last year, and scientists later found that the damaging 2021 frost was made more likely by climate change.