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. They also present an aviation hazard since extreme wind shear occurs with this phenomenon. While virtually no doubt exists that we, as a region, have witnessed a wide variation in weather over the past decade, it is not presently possible to show a causal relationship between human activity and climate change. Any climate change is superimposed on natural climate variability and it is difficult to discern the two.