News Weather
Hail has already destroyed 66.000 hectares in Europe
More than 66.000 hectares of agricultural crops across Europe have already been hit by hail. Crop insurer Vereinigte Hagel reports this. Due to severe weather in countries such as Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, the number of affected hectares doubled in a short time at the end of June.
At the end of June, Vereinigte Hagel reported that 30.000 hectares of crops had been affected by hail, but this figure was increased significantly shortly afterwards. The insurer is now talking about more than 66.000 hectares. It probably won't stop there, because there is also a risk of hail showers in a number of European countries at the beginning of July.
Damages halved
A considerable area of crops has been affected to a greater or lesser extent, but the damage is less than a year earlier. At the beginning of July, the counter stood at 120.000 hectares, according to the company. A loss of €150 million at 2.000 agricultural companies. This year, the loss is estimated at €20 to €23 million.
In particular, the occurrence of so-called 'supercells' that originated in France resulted in a doubling of the damage in a short time. Much damage occurred in the south of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. In such a storm hailstones the size of tennis balls occur. Also, a lot of rain has fallen in a wide swath over these countries. The Netherlands is also mentioned. In Flevoland you can find hail damage, among other things, where the Crop tourparticipants encountered.
Ideal conditions
These 'mesocyclones' are becoming increasingly common and can cause enormous damage and even cause tornadoes. The weather conditions were ideal for this. Warm air low to the ground and wind from the right direction. That created a kind of 'tornado alley' in the south of Germany. Fortunately, we have much less to do with this kind of weather in the Netherlands.
Vereinigte Hagel bases its data on data from its own customers. The insurer – in its own words the largest agricultural insurer in Europe – has a total of 110.000 affiliated agricultural entrepreneurs.
Niels van der Boom
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