According to the producer Blue Diamond Almonds, almond flowering of some varieties being important for the sweet goods industry is considerably advanced. Only in Nonpareil, Monterey, Carmel, California types, very few dormant buds remain. Also the buds of the late blooming varieties Butte and Padre started to open, with less than half of their buds remaining dormant.

Record breaking high temperatures have caused buds to break out of dormancy quickly and accelerate the phase of bloom. While early morning temperatures were around 4 to 5 °C, they recently increased rapidly to about 25 °C. At these conditions bees work on the open flowers being available for pollination.

Although various counter-measures have been taken, it is more likely than not that – and this refers to the region Central Valley being affected by sudden warm spells – next crop yield will remain lower than the expected normal values. In particular producers of higher-value marzipan should pay attention to this question.