Cold snap ends Oregon grape harvest prematurely

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Cold has cut short the grape growing season in Southern Oregon.

That means some growers are hustling to get the crop into the wineries for crushing, and some may suffer losses.

Growers in Jackson and Josephine counties say temperatures over the weekend dove into the mid-20s and dropped even further in some spots.

Marcus Buchanan is an extension service specialist who toured the Southern Oregon region. He says cold weather was expected, but it turned out about five degrees lower than forecast.

Buchanan says some growers are only halfway through the harvest. He says there's likely to be damage in the Applegate region for growers who didn't have frost protection and in low areas of Jackson County.