June 8, 2010
Hail hits Colorado's grain fields
Hail and rain fell fast and heavy over a large section of southern Morgan County, Colorado on Sunday (Jun 6) evening, causing some damage to crops.
Morgan County Extension Agent Marlin Eisenach was out surveying crop damage Sunday night and this morning. Golf ball-sized hail was reported south of Fort Morgan, and very heavy winds with heavy rains.
Wheat fields were hit hardest, since wheat was already ''headed,'' and that will cause yield losses in many fields on the south side of Morgan County, although he did not see any fields which were totally wiped out, he said.
Corn in that area also had some leaves stripped off and that could slow growth, but those will probably come back since it is early in the season yet, Eisenach said.
Flooding in fields could also affect crops, he said. He had reports of anywhere from 0.5 inches to 2.5 inches of rain. If the water stands too long in fields it can kill crops if the water is too high on the plant, Eisenach said.
Some southern parts of Fort Morgan were hammered with a big burst of hail, but others were almost unaffected, various people said. Some hailstones were as wide as quarters.
