Historic August 2020 derecho destroyed over 1 million acres of crops, U.S.
Image credit: Brad Maskatastic
A devastating derecho ripped through several Midwest states on August 10, 2020, leaving a path of destruction, more than 1.5 million customers without power, and more than 404 600 hectares (1 million acres) of destroyed or damaged crops. Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini described the event as one of the worst weather events of 2020 in the United States.
The storm ripped through the heart of the Corn Belt – a region of the Midwestern United States that has dominated corn production in the country since the 1850s, with winds gusts up to 180 km/h (112 mph), causing huge economic impact which is expected to be widespread across the farming community.
"The price of corn is going for about 3 dollars and 25 cents a bushel. So the overall economic impact could be 3.2 BILLION dollars if we can’t salvage some of the crop that was damaged," WeatherNation reports.
"Whatever happens on the farm… the consumers are going to feel it. That is just the way it goes," Ty Higgins from the Ohio Farm Bureau said.
Consumers nationwide could be in store for higher meat prices and increased fuel prices toward the end of the year, Higgins said, adding that it doesn’t stop there.
"Trickle-down effects could even carry over into next year as a direct result of the derecho. A lot of the damaged fields were actually growing corn seeds for planting in the 2021 season. And so farmers are worried that there might be a shortage of seed corn for next year."
The storm hit the Midwest on Monday, August 10, 2020, leaving almost 1.5 million customers without power, toppling numerous trees and vehicles, and causing major, widespread property damage across several states.
DERECHO: Here is a 3D Mesoscale IR Satellite visualization of the derecho evolution from the central Plains to the Lower Great Lakes. Note all of the damage and high wind reports along the path! RadarOmega subscribers get access to these 3D visualizations and more. #derecho pic.twitter.com/F2AVc6Wns2
— RadarOmega (@RadarOmega_WX) August 11, 2020
Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini described it as one of the worst weather events of 2020 in the United States.
The widespread damage to the Iowa corn crops right before harvest season is another angle to the #derecho. This could easily end up being a billion dollar weather disaster https://t.co/PcoFocS2Uy
— Bill Karins (@BillKarins) August 10, 2020
My god. A friend in eastern Iowa sent me this photo of grain silos near his house. This looks like Frank Gehry. #derecho #Iowa #IowaStorms pic.twitter.com/wlZqEpfj54
— Brad Masktastic (@Yeah_Brad_B) August 10, 2020
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1% of food lost here. 2% of food lost there. 1% of food processing lost here. 2% of all cheese production lost there. 1% of sausage production lost here. This reminds me of the old saying about bankruptcy. How did you go bankrupt? A little at first and all at once. How did the great famine of 2021 start? A little at first and all at once. The cupboard could well be bare in the winter of 2021.