Retailers notice rush for heaters and warm clothing
Gilroy – While the weather outside might be frightful, area vintners and orchardists are comfortable knowing the frigid temperatures are just nature’s way of letting their crops chill out.
“The cold weather really doesn’t hurt the vine,” said Frances Fortino, owner of Hecker Pass Winery. “Basically they go to sleep; they go dormant in the wintertime, so the frost will kill the leaves, but it doesn’t hurt the vine. It’s okay for them.”
The cause of the weeks’s frigid temperatures is a cold, dry air mass from Alaska that has descended on Northern California, and Santa Clara County is feeling the chill.
Temperatures in Gilroy hit a low of 31 degrees Thursday morning, according to National Weather Service forecaster Ryan Walbrun. The record low for Nov. 30 in Gilroy is 28 degrees – logged in 2004. NWS said the coldest nights are behind us.
The cold temperatures also help fruit trees, and orchardists say they actually need a series of cold days to ensure the health of trees.
“For us in the apricot business, it’s very beneficial,” said apricot grower George Bonacich, who is also the new president of the San Benito County Farm Bureau. He said apricot trees need between 700 and 900 hours per year of “chill time” in order to become completely dormant, which leads to a better crop the next year. He added that cold weather also keeps trees healthier because it prevents fungal diseases.
“To damage the apricots, it’d have to get around 10 degrees, and that doesn’t happen around here,” Bonacich said.
And while the frigid temperatures may send us scampering for our windshield scrapers, some local retailers are scurrying to keep heaters and warm clothing in stock.
“Heaters have been selling a little bit better for the past couple of days, and our wood burning pellets have been selling very well – we’re out,” said The Home Depot Manager Santos Gonzalez, who has been with the Gilroy store eight years. “We have our reports every week, and so far they’re trending higher”.
Supervisor Shane Lades of Kohl’s department store in Gilroy said that she noticed a recent boom in sales of cold-weather items.
“Right when the arctic front came through, we began selling through our fleece throws, our warming blankets and our Valero throws,” Lades said.
“I’m selling an over-abundance of Sonoma socks (slippers), and gloves. Those are very popular,” she added.
Local consumers may not be as happy about the onset of winter, especially after they see their bills from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith said the company doesn’t make any profits from the sale of natural gas, but that won’t stop prices from rising.
“What happens is that when the weather starts getting colder, it drives up the market price for natural gas,” he said. “It’s basically a supply-and-demand thing.”
Luckily, Smith said, this year’s prices will be lower than in 2005, when Gulf Coast hurricanes drove up prices. He estimated that customers’ coming bills will be an average of $13 or $14 less than they were in December of 2005.
In addition, PG&E will be offering a 20 percent rebate to customers who reduce their usage by at least 10 percent for their January and February bills. Smith noted that it’s important for people to start conserving now, because the bill in January may cover usage in December.
Of course, for many people, keeping warm also means building fires, and Hollister Fire Chief Bill Barringer warned that residents will have to keep an eye on their fireplaces and heaters to avoid risk.
Santa Clara residents should keep an eye on their pets and plants too.
Hollister Animal Control Supervisor Julie Carreiro noted that animals are like plants – “you have to provide shelter for them.”
And Sheri Sinni, a sales associate at Garden Accents in Gilroy said to protect plants by covering them or bringing them indoors.
“What do you have to lose?” she said.
Betsy Avelar attends Gavilan College and is an intern for the South Valley Newspapers. You can each her at 847-7216 or ba*****@************ch.com. Anthony Ha contributed to this story.
