Scientific approach to atmospheric conditions safeguards Yan'an's orchards

For experienced apple growers in Yan'an, a city in northwestern China's Shaanxi province, the toughest challenges of their jobs aren't planting techniques or irrigation systems, but the unpredictable late-spring frosts and sudden hailstorms that threaten to wipe out a year's worth of hard work in a single night.

In recent years, farmers across the city's rugged apple-producing hills have increasingly turned to modern meteorological tools, including portable weather stations, artificial hail suppression systems, and weather index insurance, to protect their crops and reduce climate-related losses.

At an orchard in Zhidan county in July, rows of apple trees stood lush and healthy despite enduring three recent frosts. The resilience was thanks in part to a small lantern-shaped device hanging from the branches — a "mini weather sentry" that monitors real-time temperature and humidity, local officials said.

"This little gadget is a game-changer," said Zhang Hong, an official at the county's agriculture and rural affairs bureau. "In the past, farmers would tie thermometers to trees and check them with flashlights in the freezing night. Now, they can stay warm at home and monitor everything through the 'Shaanxi Weather' app or the 'Ping'an Weather' mini program."

The devices are part of two-factor orchard weather stations deployed at different altitudes to offer localized data. These stations alert growers to freezing temperatures during the critical blooming season in April and May, giving them time to take preventive measures such as lighting smudge pots to create protective smoke around the trees.

"Zhidan county has so far deployed 380 such stations," Zhang said.

In Yan'an, 475 six-factor smart weather stations and 1,670 two-factor orchard weather sensors have been installed in recent years. According to the Yan'an Meteorological Bureau, the average distance between monitoring stations has been slashed from 23 kilometers to just 4, enhancing the accuracy of forecasts and frost warnings.

While frost is a lingering threat in the spring, hailstorms pose a year-round risk, particularly in Wuqi county.