A thunderstorm that moved through Nyssa on Wednesday, June 26, damaged crops in the area. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)
NYSSA—Some fields look unrecognizable after a powerful thunderstorm whipped through Malheur County on Wednesday, June 26.
Farmers are assessing the property and crop damage, which some estimate could be in the millions.
Paul Bentz, with Bentz Insurance in Vale, said some onion fields are “unrecognizable.”
Onions are a significant crop in Malheur County’s agriculture economy.
“You would not know it was an onion field unless you could smell them,” Bentz said.
Halfway through the growing season, onion plants begin putting on some size this time of year, according to Stuart Reitz, director of Oregon State University’s Malheur Experiment Station.
Hail and wind “exacerbate” the plants as they grow larger, making them more susceptible to disease and “bulb rot.”
Meanwhile, Reitz said other crops face similar risks because of Wednesday’s storm. Wheat harvest begins soon, he said. Wind and rain could make harvesting less efficient, especially if the heads of the wheat plants stay wet and packed together, which increases disease risk.
The storm, Reitz said, was “definitely not good news.”
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. You can read it any hour, any day with a digital subscription. Read it on your phone, your Tablet, your home computer. Click subscribe – $7.50 a month.
A damaged field after a thunderstorm moved through the area on Wednesday, June 26. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. The scene is south of Nyssa. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)Tree limbs were downed on Wednesday, June 26, in Nyssa after a thunderstorm moved through the area. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)A truck navigates a road in Nyssa on Wednesday, June 26, after a fast-moving severe thunderstorm ripped through the region, causing untold damage to property and crops in the area. (Special to the Enterprise/ANGIE SILLONIS) A farm outbuilding near Nyssa was destroyed when a severe thunderstorm moved through the area on Wednesday, June 26. The storm knocked out power to the area, downed countless trees and damaged several buildings. (Submitted photo)Damaged crops after a severe thunderstorm moved through the area on Wednesday, June 26. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. The scene is south of Nyssa. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)Power lines teeter over Highway 201 on Wednesday, June 26, in Nyssa after a thunderstorm moved through the area. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)A flooded chicken coop sits in front of a home on Wednesday, June 26, in Nyssa after a thunderstorm moved through the area. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)Debris on the side of the road on Wednesday, June 26, near Nyssa after a thunderstorm moved through the area. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)Debris block a road in Malheur County after a thunderstorm moved through the area on Wednesday, June 26. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. The scene is south of Nyssa. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special. to the Enterprise)A downed tree in front of a house after a thunderstorm moved through the area on Wednesday, June 26. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. The scene is south of Nyssa. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)A toppled-over trailer sits in front of a home on Wednesday, June 26, in Nyssa after a thunderstorm moved through the area. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)
A thunderstorm tore part of the roof off a building in Malheur County on Wednesday, June 26, near Nyssa. The National Weather Service said winds reached 70 mph. (ANGIE SILLONIS/Special to the Enterprise)
EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM – Available for $7.50 a month. Subscribe to the digital service of the Enterprise and get the very best in local journalism. We report with care, attention to accuracy, and an unwavering devotion to fairness. Get the kind of news you’ve been looking for – day in and day out from the Enterprise.
