Karrie Allen, John Mason and Roger Hannigan Gilson are reporting in the Register-Star fruit farmers and Columbia and Greene counties are assessing the damage that may have been caused by the snow storm and cold temperatures this week. Temperatures dropped as low as 8 degrees in some parts of Columbia County overnight on Mon., Apr. 4. At Kinderhook’s Samascott Orchards, the temperature fell to 17 degrees, said Matt Wilson, a farmer at the orchard. The crew used wind machines to keep warmer air down to ground level in an effort to hold off the cold. Farmers will not know the extent of the damage until after the bloom season, said Dan Donahue, regional tree fruit specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension. The storm on Monday came 16 days into spring, and brought the region's most significant snowfall this year. Read the full story in the Register-Star.