<p> South Florida farmers narrowly escaped apparent crop damage after temperatures dropped into near-freezing levels overnight and after the National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for most of the Tampa Bay area, including Hernando and Pasco Counties and inland areas of Hillsborough County, according to Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Temperatures dropped to the lower to mid-40s in metro Miami Thursday night and Friday morning and to the mid-30s in the Redland area, where many winter crops and ornamental plants are being housed. Northern counties such as Glades and Hendry fared somewhat worse, with temperatures dropping as low as 30 degrees on Thursday night.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Farmers like Bruce Dunn, owner of Dunn Brothers Farms in South Miami-Dade, strongly considered sheltering plants and turning on water sprinklers to keep winter vegetables warm. “The drier it is, the faster the frost forms,” said Dunn, whose farm grows, packs, and ships green beans and corn.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Temperatures are still expected to stay low for the next couple of days, dropping into as low as 36 degrees on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow the Florida growing season. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.tampabay.com/news/weather/chilly-temperatures-prompt-opening-of-cold-weather-shelters/2161280" target="_new"> Tampa Bay Times </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/17/3876702/with-lows-in-the-30s-florida-farmers.html" target="_new"> Miami Herald </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
