COLUMBIA, S.C. — Subfreezing temperatures across the South have Florida farmers worried that strawberry, tomato and other crops could be destroyed, with temperatures in even usually balmy Miami only in the 50s on Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order that gives the state’s Division of Emergency Management and other agencies the authority to provide growers with assistance.
Forecasters say the Southern deep freeze will last through the weekend, likely breaking records for continuous cold temperatures in many parts of Florida and elsewhere.
The eastern U.S. was not only dealing with subfreezing temperatures, but parts of New England were under record snowfall.
In Burlington, Vt., a storm dumped more than 33 inches, breaking a single-storm record of nearly 30 inches set in 1969. More snow was forecast for northeast Ohio, where some areas are already buried in 2 feet or more.
