Every year, hail and thunderstorm winds do millions of dollars in damage to crops across the nation’s breadbasket—much of it wheat, and much of it in supercells. Fortunately for the owners of this field, the dark, messy, heavy-precipitation (HP) supercell shown here slid just a few miles to the west and north, sparing this nearly harvest-ready crop an ill-timed demolition. However, about an hour and a half later, another severe storm rolling along the outflow boundary passed very close to this field, perhaps overhead. Yes, the potential for storm damage goes with the territory of farming on the Great Plains, but better the payment from the crop than from the crop insurance. As we rightly marvel at and appreciate the power and beauty of severe storms, we should humble ourselves before them. That necessarily includes dutifully deliberate remembrance of their impacts on agriculture as well as life and property, respecting those they affect, and not celebrating the damage they do.
5 E Davidson OK (10 May 17) Looking NW
34.2455, -98.9933Wheat and What Destroys It
Every year, hail and thunderstorm winds do millions of dollars in damage to crops across the nation’s breadbasket—much of it wheat, and much of it in supercells. Fortunately for the owners of this field, the dark, messy, heavy-precipitation (HP) supercell shown here slid just a few miles to the west and north, sparing this nearly harvest-ready crop an ill-timed demolition. However, about an hour and a half later, another severe storm rolling along the outflow boundary passed very close to this field, perhaps overhead. Yes, the potential for storm damage goes with the territory of farming on the Great Plains, but better the payment from the crop than from the crop insurance. As we rightly marvel at and appreciate the power and beauty of severe storms, we should humble ourselves before them. That necessarily includes dutifully deliberate remembrance of their impacts on agriculture as well as life and property, respecting those they affect, and not celebrating the damage they do.
5 E Davidson OK (10 May 17) Looking NW
34.2455, -98.9933