Farmer: 'It was too cold for too long' last night in Glades

...a statement from the Florida Department of Agriculture said that "tens of thousands of acres of fresh fruits and vegetables were in regions where temperatures remained below 30 degrees for several hours."

Hundley estimated that his farm alone lost 100 percent of its crop of beans and 90 percent of its sweet corn, losses he pegs in the millions of dollars.

By 7:30 a.m., daylight made damage apparent. Veteran helicopter pilot Jetson Morgan Jr. of Belle Glade knelt beside a young corn plant less than a foot high in a field north of Belle Glade. He spotted the first sign of frost damage - and the plant's eventual demise.

"It's already beginning to turn black," Morgan said as helicopters continued to fly above the field.

Memo to EPA Employees | Administrator-Designate Lisa Jackson | US EPA

Many vital tasks lie before us in every aspect of EPA’s programs. As I develop my agenda, I will be seeking your guidance on the tasks that are most urgent in protecting public health and the environment and on the strategies that EPA can adopt to maximize our effectiveness and the expertise of our talented employees. At the outset, I would like to highlight five priorities that will receive my personal attention:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The President has pledged to make responding to the threat of climate change a high priority of his administration. He is confident that we can transition to a low-carbon economy while creating jobs and making the investment we need to emerge from the current recession and create a strong foundation for future growth. I share this vision. EPA will stand ready to help Congress craft strong, science-based climate legislation that fulfills the vision of the President. As Congress does its work, we will move ahead to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision recognizing EPA’s obligation to address climate change under the Clean Air Act.

California: Ailing brown pelicans may be victims of frostbite

Though they appear to be suffering from a variety of ailments, 60 percent to 65 percent of the pelicans have dead and blackened skin on their feet and feeding pouches. Such tissue damage is consistent with frostbite, Bellizzi said.
...
Jaques, a UC Davis graduate, said the pelicans got caught in a storm that arrived Dec. 14. It was the worst coastal freeze in 40 years, she said, dropping temperatures to as low as 2 degrees and covering beaches in snow.