Pumpkin image, courtesy of Photos.com

Pick your pumpkins now. That’s the conventional wisdom according to farmers in the Northeast.

Hurricane Irene washed out pumpkin patches throughout the region, leaving farmers and supermarkets scrambling to supplement crops and orders from other parts of the United States.

The damage is so severe, wholesale prices have doubled to between $150 and $200 in areas such as upstate New York, according to the AP.

Additionally, with the sudden cool weather farmers face another threat to any surviving pumpkins — an early frost.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards said frost can develop when the air temperature is in the mid-30s. Since cold air sinks, the surface temperature of crops will actually be cooler.

Luckier farms are past Irene and worried about future rain.

Ort Farms in Long Valley, N.J., was spared damage to its pumpkins because of the farm’s location on a hill, but fourth generation manager Nicole Ort said they’re not in the clear yet.

“The next couple of weeks are crucial because if we see a bad storm, the ground will become saturated, which means a high chance of mold,” she said.

The wet weather preceding Irene caused outbreaks of phytophthora, a water mold, which has been another culprit in the pumpkin shortage, according to the AP.

“We have a beautiful crop so far,” Ort said. “The threat now is more rain.”

By Erica Brecher, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer