Wild Weather, the Wobble Effect

[Sevan Makaracı]

 

Weather: Weather Wobble Jet Stream tornados Siberian Freeze Weather Wobble Wild weather , [2] Wobble Clouds Hurricane development Violent Push Weather & ocean currents Europe Weather

Tides and Whirlpools: Storm Clash whirlpools Lurch of earth Tides , [2] Whirlpools Wobble Sloshing

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"We warned at the start of ZetaTalk, in 1995, that unpredictable weather extremes, switching about from drought to deluge, would occur and increase on a lineal basis up until the pole shift. Where this occurred steadily, it has only recently become undeniable. ZetaTalk, and only ZetaTalk, warned of these weather changes, at that early date. Our early warnings spoke to the issue of global heating from the core outward, hardly Global Warming, a surface or atmospheric issue, but caused by consternation in the core. Affected by the approach of Planet X, which was by then starting to zoom rapidly toward the inner solar system for its periodic passage, the core was churning, melting the permafrost and glaciers and riling up volcanoes. When the passage did not occur as expected in 2003 because Planet X had stalled in the inner solar system, we explained the increasing weather irregularities in the context of the global wobble that had ensued - weather wobbles where the Earth is suddenly forced under air masses, churning them. This evolved by 2005 into a looping jet stream, loops breaking away and turning like a tornado to affect the air masses underneath. Meanwhile, on Planet Earth, droughts had become more intractable and deluges positively frightening, temperature swings bringing snow in summer in the tropics and searing heat in Artic regions, with the violence of storms increasing in number and ferocity."

ZETATALK

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for February 4, 2012:

 

The wobble seems to have changed, as the temperature in Europe suddenly plunged after being like an early Spring, Alaska has its coldest temps ever while the US and much of Canada is having an extremely mild winter. India went from fatal cold spell to balmy again. Has the Earth changed position vs a vs Planet X to cause this? [and from another] Bitter cold records broken in Alaska - all time coldest record nearly broken, but Murphy's Law intervenes [Jan 30] http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/30/bitter-cold-records-broken-in-alaska Jim River, AK closed in on the all time record coldest temperature of -80°F set in 1971, which is not only the Alaska all-time record, but the record for the entire United States. Unfortunately, it seems the battery died in the weather station just at the critical moment. While the continental USA has a mild winter and has set a number of high temperature records in the last week and pundits ponder whether they will be blaming the dreaded "global warming" for those temperatures, Alaska and Canada have been suffering through some of the coldest temperatures on record during the last week.

There has been no change in the wobble pattern, the wobble has merely become more severe. Nancy noted a Figure 8 format when the Earth wobble first became noticeable, in early 2005, after Planet X moved into the inner solar system at the end of 2003. The Figure 8 shifted along to the east a bit on the globe between 2005 and 2009, (the last time Nancy took its measure) as Planet X came closer to the Earth, encountering the magnetic N Pole with a violent push earlier in the day. But the pattern of the Figure 8 remained essentially the same. So what changed recently that the weather patterns became noticeably different in late January, 2012?

The N Pole is pushed away when it comes over the horizon, when the noon Sun is centered over the Pacific. This regularly puts Alaska under colder air, with less sunlight, and thus the historically low temps there this January, 2012 as the wobble has gotten stronger. But by the time the Sun is positioned over India, the N Pole has swung during the Figure 8 so the globe tilts, and this tilt is visible in the weather maps from Asia. The tilt has forced the globe under the hot air closer to the Equator, warming the land along a discernable tilt demarcation line.

The next loop of the Figure 8 swings the globe so that the N Pole moves in the other direction, putting the globe again at a tilt but this time in the other direction. This tilt is discernable in weather maps of Europe, again along a diagonal line. Depending upon air pressure and temperature differences, the weather on either side of this diagonal line may be suddenly warm or suddenly cold. The tilt and diagonal line lingers to affect much of the US and Canada, but the Figure 8 changes at this point to be an up and down motion, pulling the geographic N Pole south so the US is experiencing a warmer than expected winter under a stronger Sun. Then the cycle repeats, with the magnetic N Pole of Earth pushed violently away again as the Sun is positioned over the Pacific.

 

From the ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for April 6, 2013:

 

Would the Zetas be able to let us know what is causing the early break-up of the Arctic Ice, the ice seems to have taken on a swirling pattern at the same time, would this be wobble related? [and from another] http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Canada+Arctic+cracks+spec... The ice in Canada’s western Arctic ripped open in a massive “fracturing event” this spring that spread like a wave across 1,000 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea. Huge leads of water – some more than 500 kilometres long and as much as 70 kilometres across – opened up from Alaska to Canada’s Arctic islands as the massive ice sheet cracked as it was pushed around by strong winds and currents. It took just seven days for the fractures to progress across the entire area from west to east. [and from another] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80752&src=iot... A high-pressure weather system was parked over the region, producing warmer temperatures and winds that flowed in a southwesterly direction. That fueled the Beaufort Gyre, a wind-driven ocean current that flows clockwise. The gyre was the key force pulling pieces of ice west past Point Barrow, the northern nub of Alaska that protrudes into the Beaufort Sea.

The Figure 8 formed by the N Pole during the daily Earth wobble has shifted somewhat to the East, due to Planet X positioned more to the right of the Earth during its approach. This was anticipated, and well described in ZetaTalk, the Earth crowding to the left in the cup to escape the approach of Planet X, so the angle between these two planets would change slightly. This shift of the Figure 8 to the East is due to the push against the Earth’s magnetic N Pole occurring sooner each day than prior. Thus instead of occurring when the Sun is high over the Pacific, over New Zealand, it is now occurring when the Sun is high over Alaska. All the wobble points have shifted eastward accordingly.

This has brought a lingering Winter to the western US, and a changed sloshing pattern to the Arctic waters. Instead of Pacific waters being pushed through the Bering Straits into the Arctic when the polar push occurs, the wobble is swinging the Arctic to the right, and then later to the left, creating a circular motion in the waters trapped in the Arctic. Since the Earth rotates counterclockwise, the motion also takes this path. This is yet another piece of evidence that the establishment is hard pressed to explain. They are attempting to ascribe this to high pressure and wind, all of which are not new to the Arctic, but this circular early breakup of ice in the Arctic is new.

[Kojima]

Unusual Weather

Comoros (the) Flash Floods Situation Report # 1 – 28 April 2012

http://reliefweb.int/node/493172

Download PDF (68.89 KB)

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

• Since April 20 April, the Islands of Comoros have been battered by torrential rains. Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli islands are significantly affected with water supply, electricity and telecommunications services cut off as well as the market functionality disrupted.

• Some villages are inaccessible because roads and other communication infrastructure have been cut off.

• According to the Comoros meteorological services, more rainfall is expected for the next few days.

• An assessment was carried out by the Government and humanitarian partners.

• To date, 46,139 people are affected, 9228 people displaced in temporary shelters or hosted by relatives.

• On 26 April, the President declared a State of Emergency.

• A humanitarian coordination meeting was held on 27th April with the local donors to contribute to the President’s emergency fund in response to the current flooding

Comoros: Two dead after heavy rains in the center of Great Comoros

Moroni - Two people were killed in the center of Great Comoros during heavy rains that lashed the archipelago for two weeks and causing serious flooding in parts of the country, we learned in the early evening on Thursday in a statement of the crisis unit of the Directorate General of civil Protection.

"The situation has worsened in the region Hambou, south of the island, with the overflow water to Mitsoudjé, southwest of Grande Comore and Bangoi, north of the country. Men are carried away by waters, "the statement said.

President of the Republic, Ikililou Dhoinine and his wife, and other personalities of the country visited the affected areas to assess the damages. A parliament meeting in special session is requested by the government to declare the area as a disaster, affected regions by heavy rains and urged the international community and the partners of the Comoros to give their assistance.

The weather service said the Comoros on Wednesday that in normal rainfall in April is 266.8 mm while that at the moment it is 740 mm.

African Diplomacy Staff

[wanderer]

April is the wettest month for 100 years

It has been the wettest April in the UK for over 100 years, with some areas seeing three times their usual average, figures from the Met Office show.

Yet another month passes with "Since records began" headlines in the UK.

[Andrey Eroshin]

Central, eastern Europe swelter in record heat
VIENNA: Summer came early to central and eastern Europe as unseasonally-high temperatures were recorded on Saturday in several parts of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Temperatures "are exceptionally mild for April", Austria's ZAMG meteorological centre said, reporting a record 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) in the northern region of Lower Austria.

The centre said the main reason for the summer weather gracing the region was a strong southern wind from Africa's Sahara desert.

Temperatures hovering around 28 Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) in Vienna drew large crowds to the banks of the Danube while Germany's Bild carried front-page pictures of Berlin residents sunbathing in 30 degrees.

Prague experienced its hottest April 28 in 212 years, with mercury hitting 27.7 Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) while unusually-high temperatures were also recorded in Poland and Slovakia.

Moscow swelters in record heat
Moscow sweltered in unseasonable heat on Sunday, with temperatures of nearly 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 Fahrenheit), a record for April since data collection began 130 years ago, authorities said.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Moscow_swelters_in_record_heat_99...

[KM]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2136503/Thought-worse-A-mon...

It's a washout! Britain is battered by violent storms, 60mph winds and flooding as forecasters warn of MONTH of rainfall in just a DAY

• Met Office says April could be 'wettest on record' as the Environment Agency puts 42 flood alerts in place
  
• But drought could 'last till Christmas' as land is too dry to soak up the rain
• The Environment Agency warns combination of dry land and heavy rain could cause more flash flooding
  
• 60mph winds set to hit parts of the country today with downpours to continue into next week
  
• Dramatic scenes as scaffolding topples, a tree crushes a passing police van and monster waves hammer the coast
  
• Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, braced to relive disastrous flood of summer 2007

Fierce storms wreaked destruction in many parts of Britain last night, leaving roads and railways blocked by debris as forecasters warned 60mph winds will hit coastal areas today.

In London a car was crushed under a falling tree, while a main road was closed after a large section of scaffolding collapsed across a junction.

And, following last night's violent storms, some areas were set to get a month's worth of rain in just one day today - making it the wettest day of the year so far.

Two inches of rain are expected to fall in many places along with high winds and potential flash flooding, meaning this month’s rain will beat the record for the wettest April – currently 120.3mm (4.7in) in 2000.

[Howard]

1 dead, 100 injured as storm packing huge hail overturns tent at St. Louis sports bar - (April 28)

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/28/11449666-1-dead-100-in...

A storm blasting through the city blew away a tent outside a downtown bar, leaving one man dead Saturday afternoon, NBC station KSDK reported.

A least 17 others -- five in critical condition -- were taken to hospitals after the incident at Kilroy’s Sports Bar on South Seventh Street a couple of blocks south of Busch Stadium, KSDK reported. A total of 100 people received medical treatment, KSDK said. Photos showed the tent impaled on a nearby railroad trestle.

It was not clear whether the man who died was struck during the incident or went into cardiac arrest because of shock, officials said.

St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson told KSDK that a few hundred people were celebrating in the tent after the Cardinals' victory over the Milwaukee Brewers when the storm hit.

"We've got severe injuries to quite a few people," Jenkerson said, noting live wires were left on the ground after the tarp tied to galvanized pipes blew away. "We don't like this type of building. It gives us nightmares, and as you can see, it caused one."

The pipes "beat up" many of the people in the tent, Jenkerson said.

The tent was set up as a beer garden next to Kilroy's, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"I thought a train fell off the track," Art Randall, Kilroy's owner, told the Post-Dispatch. "We all ducked for cover. Everything was going sideways. I had metal chairs ripping across the beer garden."

"People were pushing and shoving," said Christy Eilermann, 42, of St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch reported. "The wind just picked up and they started dragging people inside."

a video of the hail storm at a golf course in St. Louis

[Howard]

Floods, Sinkholes, Avalanches and Mudslides Leave BC Residents Scrambling (Canada) April 27 

Evacuation Alert Issued in B.C. Interior

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/27/bc-...

An evacuation alert has been issued for an area in B.C.'s Interior due to an immediate danger of a flash flood, local authorities say.  The order applies to residents in the area of Chute Lake, about 20 kilometres south of Kelowna.

The threat was the latest in a torrent of weather-related natural disasters that have hit B.C.'s interior, forcing people from their homes, closing highways and stranding travellers.

A slow-moving frontal system brought significant rain to interior parts of the province causing substantial flooding, as well as unusual avalanche activity, sinkholes and mudslides.

In West Kelowna, B.C., residents along Hitchner Road have had their houses flooded for the second time in two days.

On Wednesday, water from McDougall creek spilled its banks, and flooded three homes, including Ondreia Robie's house. Crews were able to divert the water back into the creek and build up the banks overnight.

"It's beyond frustrating. It's devastating. You think once, okay, and you come back and it's filling up again — another eight feet," said Robie Thursday night.

"You know, Doug has been here for almost 30 years. It's horrifying. He doesn't even know which way to look. I mean sleepless nights are going to be endless."

Unusual spring avalanches strand travellers
The Canadian Avalanche Centre is warning people to be wary of large avalanches, parts of the Purcells and Kootenary-Boundary regions not known for slides.

"In some cases, these slides have been rated size four or larger and are creating new (or at least new to us) avalanche paths by cleaning out many hectares of mature timber," warned Karl Klassen, public avalanche warning service manager.

"There are several cases where people have been trapped when they drive up a dry road in the morning then come back in the afternoon to find tens of metres and thousands of tonnes of snow covering the road," wrote Klassen on Thursday.

"In one place the slide ran across the valley bottom where it hit the road on the other side after climbing uphill. This one was completely covered with trees, making the snow almost invisible underneath."

Flooding and sinkholes close highways

Traffic is flowing again between Burns Lake and Houston, after a sinkhole two kilometres east of Topley, B.C., forced the closure of Highway 16 in both directions.

A mudslide just east of Salmon Arm, B.C., late Thursday, forced the closure of Highway 1 in both directions overnight, and pulled a tree down over power in the area, knocking out electricity to 368 homes. The highway has since been re-opened and power restored.

In the Kootenays, highways have been re-opened after summer (sudden?) melt and rain caused mudslides between Nelson and Salmo on Highway 6 and Highway 31, north of Trout Lake. Highway 3 was washed away east of Castlegar at the Bombi summit, but re-opened Friday morning.

[jorge namour]

Tornados, more rain on the way, and a drought ... the strange British weather which keeps on getting freakier Friday, 27 April 2012

Three tornados in 24 hours hit UK as Met Office says April could be 'wettest on record'
But drought could 'last till Christmas' as land is too dry to soak up the rain
The Environment Agency warns more heavy rain could lead to localised flooding across the nation
Possible weather warnings this Sunday as forecasters say weather looks set to remain unsettled for at least the next week with heavy showers

Being on course for the wettest April on record might have seemed bad enough – and then came the tornadoes.

As downpours triggered flood warnings across the country yesterday, householders in several areas were clearing the wreckage left by twisters.

One farm in Halstead, Essex, saw more than £100,000 of damage from the strong winds, which lifted farmer Alan Barrow off his feet and hurled him to the ground.

‘It was a really terrifying experience,’ the 55-year-old said. ‘It was like a physical blow. I never saw it coming.’

Mr Barrow, whose insurance does not cover the farm - which has been in Liz's family since 1929 - for storms, fears the couple will face huge repair bills.

He added: I feel very lucky to be here today but the damage caused will cost us about £100,000 to repair.

If I had got in the way of any of the flying debris though things would have been much worse.

Two chicken sheds were overturned and about 20 chickens were crushed under them as they came down.

Afterwards we started to clear the wreckage and we found two trapped under all the debris so we saved them but the majority didn't stand a chance.

One of our sheds had it's roof completely taken off and there is severe damage to another one and to the grain store.

It will take months to repair. We don't have storm insurance you never think you'll get a twister in Essex.

There are trees, even fully grown oaks ripped out of the ground up on the fields.

If this had gone through a town or something there is no doubt people would have got hurt, just think of the damage, it would have been awful.

The tornado's trail of destruction left behind flattened sheds, damaged walls, and killed 20 chickens when it lifted their run up into the air and then threw it back down to the ground.

Read more and see incredible images at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2135422/UK-weather-Farmer-l...

The morning after the day before..: Three yachts broke free from their mooring at Portland Harbour, Dorset, and were washed ashore at Castle Cove, Weymouth. The torrential rain and 50mph winds took the unmanned boats,

http://sawdis1.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/tornados-more-rain-on-way-an...

[bill]

Water levels continue to drop in Florida

Residents’ wells running dry

CHIEFLAND — While scientists, policymakers and stakeholders alike disagree on how to address the issue of Florida’s water, one thing is certain: It continues to become less available.

Drought is part of the problem.

The Suwannee River Water Management District, which manages 14 counties in Northern Florida, reports an overall rainfall deficit of about 16 inches for the last year, which, from April to March, has been the “driest April March period since 1932.”

Florida is known to undergo periods of drought every few years. Still, data from both SRWMD and the Florida Geological Society, taking drought years into account, shows groundwater levels in the area trending downward since the middle of the 20th century, suggesting increased withdrawal is having an affect.

“We’re mining the aquifer,” Chiefland resident and Save Our Suwannee Inc. representative Annette Long, said in an interview at Fanning Springs State Park Friday. “We’re taking more than is being recharged.

One hundred percent of the data shows that’s what’s happening.”

It was at Fanning Springs on Aug. 9 where Long, a veteran cave diver and springs advocate, captured on video a steady influx of brown river water flowing into the spring.

“I said, ‘I think I’m going to have a stroke. I need to sit down,” Long said. “The smallest rise or fall now causes the springs to
reverse.”

At about 50 cubic feet of water per second, both Fanning and Manatee springs are at about half the flow that typically categorized them as first magnitude springs. Fanning’s decline, according to SRWMD records, has been slow and steady during the last year, while Manatee has seen a sharp decline from more than 150 cubic feet per second a year ago.

Levy County representatives reported recently that Bronson Blue Springs has ceased flowing, and representatives from two of Williston’s most popular attractions, Blue Grotto and Devil’s Den, also report record low levels.

Dan Fisher, who has worked at Blue Grotto for about 14 years, said he’s never seen the spring’s level so low.

“The water is dropping like a rock,” he said Friday. “It’s probably a good 10 feet down from the average.”

According to Fisher, it measures at about 100 feet at its deepest point on average. He said he’s noticed levels dropping for the past two years.

Fisher said the lack of rain is certainly an issue, but agriculture and development also play a part, both of which, unlike rain, can be managed.

“Florida is just totally being destroyed,” he said. “The economy is the only thing anybody cares about anymore. Gotta make money. But once you destroy everything that everybody came here for, what’s left?”

Rowena Thomas, who co-manages Devil’s Den, said Friday the spring is down about 12 feet from its average of about 60 feet.

“Residents are concerned,” she said. “I would be too if I had wells. If you’re not concerned about it, you’re putting your head in the sand.”

There have been 71 wells reporting record low levels for March, according to SRWMD.

Jamie Storey, owner of Action Pump Repair and Well Drilling in Old Town, said he’s seen a lot of wells go dry in the past year.

“A lot of the 30- to 40-foot wells are drying up right now,” he said. “A lot of them are starting to pump air and sand.”

He said wells went dry during the drought in the early 2000s as well, though most of those were shallower wells, extending on average only about 20 feet into the ground. From that time, he said, water levels have continued to drop.

Storey said most of the wells he’s seen run dry recently are in the Dixie County area. People have had to extend wells to get their pumps farther down, sometimes having to purchase a more powerful pump.

Jody Stephenson, owner of Stephenson Septic Tank Services Inc., of Old Town, said he contracts out a lot of well drilling and pump repair and is running into the same problems.

“There are a lot of wells going dry, mostly in Dixie County. But it’s all around, Levy and Gilchrist. Everybody’s in the same boat,” he said last week.

The problem, which started about two years ago, has gotten worse in the last year, he said.

Steve Quinata, owner of Williston Well and Pump Inc., said he’s been seeing wells run dry in Morriston, Williston and in areas closer to Gainesville. He said the problem became most apparent at the beginning of the year.

Still, SRWMD board members continue to issue permits for millions of gallons of water withdrawals a day.

On April 10, the board approved for a third time temporary permits initially approved in December for about 3.9 million gallons of water a day to three farms operating in the Lower Suwannee River Basin wishing to expand operations.

The William Douberly Farm, Alliance Grazing Group (Lancala) and its sister operation, Piedmont Dairy Farm, are in total permitted to use about 6.3 million gallons of water a day. Combined, the farms will be using  15 new spray pivots for irrigation purposes, according to SRWMD records.

Long said she thinks people would be shocked to know that taxpayers eat the lion’s share of the cost of such pivots when farmers expand operations.

“We are out of water, and the feds and the state are helping farmers get 80 percent cost share for circle pivots for new land. That is insane!” she said.

John Sage Jr., who lives between Fowlers Bluff and Chiefland, complained last week about the installation of new pivots on farms near his home.

“It’s OK if there’s plenty of water,” he said. “But I don’t see me or anyone else, just regular people, losing their wells.”

Sage, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said he’s never seen the water situation so bad. He also said he does his part to conserve water, something SRWMD asks residents to do.

But he is losing his garden, and he’s starting to see a lot of iron in his water.

He said he’s not sure if he can afford the $3,500 it would cost him to increase the size of the pipe his well uses.

If he could address the water district, he said, “I’d ask them to curtail water use. These guys use enough water for a small city.”

And that’s another problem, Long said. The district doesn’t actually know how much water farmers are using because the vast majority of agricultural wells are not monitored.

“My theory is that they’re using a whole lot more water than they are permitted for,” said Long, who has been attending SRWMD meetings regularly for several years.

Why else would a farm lobbyist tell SRWMD board members at the December meeting that monitoring agricultural wells would put farmers out of business, she asked.

“I’m not asking them to lose business,” she said. “But they’re asking us to have a crisis.”

Several state agencies are currently working toward sharing resources and coming up with a single model to help determine what happens to the groundwater in North Florida, but Long said an accurate understanding of what’s going on depends on agricultural wells being monitored. Meanwhile, she said, water districts use outdated groundwater models for permitting purposes.

“The model shows we’re not supposed to be running out of water yet. This was way down the road. That’s why I was so shocked: because it’s happening.”

When enough springs quit flowing, she said, parts of the aquifer will be inundated with river water.

River water has high dissolved oxygen levels that can spur the quick release of salts such as gypsum, sulpher and arsenic found naturally in Florida’s geology.

“There will come a point when the water will poison the crops.”

[Howard]

Alternating drought and deluge in the UK -

April 16: Drought Declared in 17 England Counties

April 25: Month's Worth of Rain Drenches UK in 24 Hours

[Howard]

Hailstorms Annihilate San Joaquin Valley Crops - Growers Lose 100 Percent of Production 

A series of freak April storms hammered the San Joaquin Valley last week, damaging vulnerable crops with a one-two-three punch of hail, lightning and tornadoes that caused millions of dollars of crop losses.

It will be several weeks before an accurate tabulation of losses can be made, but for some growers it amounted to 100 percent of this year's production. A number of crops suffered damage from the unrelenting power of hailstones measuring 1.5 inches in diameter or larger.

Nature's fury came in the form of "supercells"—large thunderstorms that moved slowly across the valley from Kings County, through parts of Tulare County, up to Merced County and all the way eastward to Mariposa County.

The most destructive storm brought torrents of hail across a six-to-eight mile-wide swath of farmland that extended some 30 miles, accompanied by thunderstorms and numerous lightning strikes.

The epicenter of the more significant of two supercells last Wednesday was in Tulare County near Traver. Grower Ed Needham, who was caught driving near Traver when the storm struck, described it as "the sound of someone hitting my truck with a hammer."

Needham said he was in his truck with two other farmers and had pulled over to watch a huge storm cell to the south when the other cell struck from the north.

"It started out small and was no big deal and then all of a sudden the side-view mirrors on my truck shattered and the road started getting covered with huge hailstones. I looked at the wind and saw that it was going south, so I took off and went to the south and got out of it," he said.

Steve Johnson, a storm chaser with Atmospheric Group International, tracked the storms closely and estimated that the damage to agriculture could reach $25 million or more just from the two supercells that hit last Wednesday afternoon.

"While other thunderstorms were moving at about 25 miles per hour, these two slugs were moving at about 7 or 8 miles an hour, so they just trudged along producing very large hail and a high quantity of lightning," he said. "I estimate the damage at anywhere from 80 percent to 100 percent in fields and orchards where the hail struck. The fruit and nut trees were stripped bare. The trees look like they are in midwinter and haven't even budded yet."

Johnson also reported that a third supercell formed over farmland west of Lemoore, producing a tornado, and another one popped up near Huron, causing considerable crop damage to Westside lettuce and tomato fields.

The following day, a supercell formed in Merced County near Dos Palos and moved northeast between Atwater and Merced, once again accompanied by huge hailstones.

"The hailstones were larger than those on the previous day. There was 1 3/4-inch hail that was recorded near Castle Air Force Base, causing a lot of crop damage as well as other damage before moving up into Mariposa County," Johnson said.

John Diepersloot, one of the owners of Kingsburg Orchards, which grows peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots, said the storms wiped out some orchards while leaving adjacent ones unscathed. He said several of his orchards were struck and that while the visible damage is obvious, it will be several days before any accurate assessment can be made.

"Where the hail hit, it is a complete, 100 percent loss. It was hitting in cells, so one area was a complete disaster and another area got missed," he said. "Some of the fields look like they got beat up pretty bad. Most of the apricots, cherries, pluots and plums got scratched up pretty bad or even knocked off the trees."

Diepersloot also noted damage to other crops, particularly grapes and newly transplanted processing tomatoes.

"The tomatoes on certain blocks were stripped down. The transplants had leaves ripped off. The grapes had everything from tender, new shoots to the bark itself torn off. A lot of guys are planting their corn, but it isn't up yet, so that is still in the ground," he said.

John Thiesen, general manager of Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. of Reedley, said he is still trying to assess the losses, and that enough fruit to fill from 5 million to 12 million boxes may have been lost.

"That is a pretty big span, so no one really knows for sure. But we do know there is very significant damage," he said.

Thiesen said the magnitude of last week's hailstorms was stunning.

"One doesn't see this kind of devastation very often. I know for us here, we were fortunate to escape, but the emotions are such that we feel just awful for all our grower friends who were affected. It is heartbreaking," he said.

Michael Miya, who farms walnuts, pistachios and field crops such as wheat, corn and onions for seed north of Hanford, said this was the worst hailstorm he has ever witnessed.

"We inspected the damage to our walnuts and it chopped a lot of the young leaflets. It covered the ground in green where the hail went through. We are concerned with the nuts that are already set on the trees," he said. "Some of my neighbors with almonds say they lost about a third of their crop, some less and some more, depending on where they were located. One of my neighbors with cherries said he has probably lost 80 percent of his crop."

Johnson, a severe-weather specialist who provides private weather forecasting for farming operations, utility companies and irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley, said it has been at least 20 years since something this severe struck the region.

"I feel really bad for the farmers who have been annihilated, because they work very hard," he said.

Source