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A Derecho Crushes the Midwest

Before and after images from the Iowa derecho show the extent of damage to cornfields. The darker green image is from July 10. The lighter image is from Aug. 11 after the derecho passed through. Wind-damaged crops show up as a lighter green while darker areas in the after image could be areas where less damage took place or where tree breaks stand.
Before and after images from the Iowa derecho show the extent of damage to cornfields. The darker green image is from July 10. The lighter image is from Aug. 11 after the derecho passed through. Wind-damaged crops show up as a lighter green while darker areas in the after image could be areas where less damage took place or where tree breaks stand. Gif: NASA

Though it received far less media attention than any of the hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast, the derecho that plowed through the Midwest in August did massive damage. Packing winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph), the storm screamed through the Corn Belt that’s just a year removed from record flooding.

It resulted in $10 billion damage and has left farmers reeling. The timing meant there was no opportunity to replant and many fields were wiped out while grain bins were torn apart like sheets of paper. While there’s little research into how climate change is influencing these types of powerful storms that send winds roaring across the Midwest and sometimes even the East Coast, they’re still a facet of life we need to learn to live with.

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