Frost/Freeze in Inland Palm Beach County, Florida

Temperatures fell to as low as 33F at the Belle Glade FAWN location, with unofficial readings near ground level as low as 28-30F both early Sunday morning January 15th, and early Monday morning January 16th. Crop damage was mainly confined to the Everglades Agricultural Area of western Palm Beach County, and varied widely from one location to another. Leafy vegetables including lettuce had ice and frost causing peeling and burning. The most sensitive crops to these types of injury were iceberg and romaine lettuce. Some crops close to harvest might be rejected or receive complaints because of this injury and growers will have to deal with these issues. Baby leafy vegetables / spring mix nearing harvest were protected by row covers, therefore no damage was reported for these crops. Corn and bean suffered the most in this area, including Pahokee. The damage was site and crop stage specific as well. Some growers reported complete loss, some report only minor losses.

A strong cold front swept through South Florida early on the morning of January 14th, followed by much colder air moving into the region.