In order to take advantage of the climate resources more effectively ac- cording to the local circumstances and to plan and develop the citrus industry in Southern Shaanxi more reasonably. On the basis of the investigation of freeze dam- age to citrus occurring in Southern Shaanxi in the winter of 2010, the climatic back- ground for the formation of this freeze damage was analyzed. In combination with the freeze damage indicators during the overwintering period and the harmful accu- mulated cold during the cold wave, indexes for grading the freeze damage in southern Shaanxi were analyzed and verified, and the perspective of grading the freeze damage using the harmful accumulated cold during the cold wave was also presented. Through analyzing the extremely lowest temperature and the harmful ac- cumulated cold in the winter of 2010 and in history at 12 citrus growing counties （districts） in Ankang area and Hanzhong area, the reasons why the freeze damage to citrus during the overwintering period was severer in the west than in the east of Southern Shaanxi were discussed, and the results obtained were basically consistent with the actual situation observed from investigation. Finally, defensive countermea- sures against the freeze damage to citrus during the overwintering period were put forward from several aspects.
