PBS News Hour. (2019, April 11). For some Nebraska farmers, devastating floods threaten their livelihood [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30OPitPetOw
Losses to Extreme Events: Hail
Hail causes in excess of $1 billion in economic losses each year to communities and industries, with the epicenter of hail events in the Great Plains. Most hail events occur in late-spring and early summer, which is when many row crops are rapidly growing. Late-season hail events can be especially impactful because crops are mature and may damage easily, plus there is very little growing season left to plant a new crop. The timing of a hail event determines the recovery process and damage evaluation. For early season damage, waiting for a week to assess the damage may be necessary in order to determine actual plant death. If plants do survive, other challenges, such as pest or disease pressure, may appear later in the season. It does not take large hail to cause impacts. Small hail, often in combination with very strong winds, can also cause significant damage.
Hail damage to corn in south central Nebraska. Photo courtesy of Tyler Williams, University of Nebraska, 2018
REFERENCES Crop Watch. (2020). Hail know [Website]. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska- Lincoln. https://cropwatch.unl.edu/hailknow
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