Strong thunderstorms forming in the warm and humid air ahead of this front will be capable of hail, strong wind gusts, and even a tornado or two this afternoon. This evening, the scattered storms will eventually form into a line which will move through eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.
Cattle producers who lost calves in the April 2022 snow storms -- especially in western North Dakota where drought or dry conditions persist -- say the government's Livestock Indemnity Program needs update its funding formula and rules if partial compensation will be relevant.
A series of April blizzards created a “long tail” of cattle illnesses, including pneumonia and scours. Losses range from zero to hundreds of calves, on top of record-setting drought and low feed and forage supplies. The numbers hide some of the effects — the loss in value when either a calf or a cow is lost, leaving orphans.
Reporter Mikkel Pates describes how the May 12, 2022, derecho wind storm hit close to home. He helped his brother, who farms near Volga, South Dakota, clean up building damage.
Friends and colleagues attending the funeral for Blomkest firefighter Ryan Leif Erickson remembered him as a man who always “showed up” where he was needed. Erickson's funeral was Friday in Willmar.
Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux and other officials visited Minnesota farms on May 19 to take a look at the damage from the storm that blew through a week before. High winds ripped apart grain bins and mangled irrigation and other equipment as well as damaging houses and other buildings.
A weather phenomenon known as a derecho unleashed damaging wind storms across the region last week. Not only is this massive wind storm relatively rare, but it is unusual for it to form so early in the season.
