SANTA ANA, Calif. — Citrus grower Fred LoBue breathed a sigh of relief after two sleepless nights monitoring the icy temperatures in his family’s Central Valley orange groves.

The 73-year-old farmer had managed to protect most of his 1,000 acres of citrus from a freeze that threatened crops throughout the state, but he could face a deeper chill next week.

Growers across California have toiled to protect the state’s prized $2 billion a year citrus industry and other key crops such as lettuce and avocados from the cold snap that engulfed the state, dropping temperatures to levels that can damage fruit and delay the harvest of greens.

Some damage is expected to the mandarin and navel orange crops in the Central Valley but the extent is still unknown.

Any losses likely won’t be known for several weeks, though the industry does not expect a dramatic impact on supply or price, according to California Citrus Mutual, an association of growers.