California’s Heat Wave Is Making the Lemon Squeeze Worse
- Prices jump by as much as 49 percent as heat threatens crops
- Demand set to outpace domestic production for seventh year
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The lemon slice for your iced tea is set to get more expensive, and you can blame California’s scorching weather for that.
The hot conditions that helped spark deadly wildfires in California are also taking a toll on the state’s citrus crop. While groves have largely been spared from the blaze, the sweltering heat is causing lemons to ripen prematurely, analysts at Stifel Financial Corp., including Vincent Anderson, said in a report this week. That’s sent prices surging by as much as 49 percent from a month ago.