Drought shrivels Virginia Apple Corp. (Clippings).

Mother Nature played rough with apple harvests on the East Coast this year, where a triple weather whammy of mild winter, frosty spring, and droughty summer combined to give Virginia its worst fall apple harvest in 20 years, according to the Washington Post.

The article profiled one commercial orchard on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal. Bill Van Deusen, whose grandfather first planted trees in 1922, did not produce nearly enough apples this year to warrant the energy or the capital to bring his 250-acre orchard into full operation.

"It's at least a double whammy, and for some orchards, it's a killer shot. It could be death," Van Deusen, 51, told the Post. "I'm at a point right now if somebody makes me an offer to sell out, I'm likely to listen right now."

The apple trees growing in the limestone-rich Shenandoah Valley of Virginia are known for their quality and quantity, but this year farmers harvested 7 million bushels compared to the usual 10 million bushels of recent years. In order to mature fully, apple trees depend on cool temperatures to keep buds from sprouting too early. The cocoon-like cases keep the blossoms at bay and need 2,000 "chilling hours" at 30 degrees or lower. Eastern apple growers are holding out hopes for a very cold, wet winter to bring next year's apple harvest up to par. Only time will tell.