Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I’m already looking forward to the moist turkey, the apple pie, the wine and even the cranberry sauce!

When you think about it, everything that we eat and drink on the holiday is affected by the weather.

The centerpiece of your table, the turkey, heavily depends on the weather in which it is raised. The survival rate of turkeys is not as great in colder weather as it is in warmer weather.

According to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), 55-60% of turkeys survive bitter cold and snow. Although that is much less than the 70-100% survival rate in warmer climates, it remains enough to feed us all on Thanksgiving while maintaining a healthy and safe population.

Leading up to fall, the weather affects apples immensely. In the spring, it is important that the apple farmers monitor temperature, humidity and any precipitation, as the bugs and parasites that can ruin crops depend on those conditions.

In the summer, if the temperature gets too hot and not enough rain falls, apple crops could be ruined. In the fall, cooler overnight temperatures help apples get their red color and help them ripen up. This, of course, allows for the perfect apple pie.

A lot of sunshine helps create an better grape and, hence, wine flavor. Light winds help to keep fungus off of grapes and help them dry out. Frost and freeze is generally bad for grapes and wine production. However, ice wine can be created from the frozen fruit.

Last, cranberries rely on temperature. In fact, they are typically grown in the southern part of our country as the temperature there stays warmer. Lots of sunshine helps keep the fruit sweet, and that means the best-tasting cranberry sauce.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.