Climate variability and change may be detrimental or even beneficial to a region depending o n their resultant effects. Climate variability using paleosols to obtain more information about prehistoric climates is helping to uncover some of the dramat ic natural events in the past. The Atlantic season of 1996 tied the record for the most activity, while 1997 s season has been relatively quiet. In the easte rn Pacific, activity has been above average with three storms making landfall in northwestern Mexico. Mesoscale storms Severe local storms 1.
Hail causes millions of dollars of damage to crops and property each year.
This year in Jamestown, North Dakota, la rge hailstones damaged a considerable portion of the city. Last year, Grand Forks experienced a severe thunderstorm with hailstones up to 2 inches in diameter with millions in damage to cars, homes, crops, and other property. Tornadoes are probably the most feared natural phenomena. With wind speeds in the st rongest tornadoes exceeding 300 miles per hour, these storms can cause enormous damage. They can lead to surfac e winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, causing damage similar to a tornado.