Scientists at Oklahoma's National Weather Service (NWS) were surprised to find out that a weather disturbance that they detected on Wednesday turned out to be a massive swarm of beetles and grasshoppers that was heading its way to Texas.
Meteorologist Jonathan Kurtz of the NWS Forecast Office in Norman said that they detected what appeared to be rainclouds above the western areas of North Texas, but when they realized that there were no clouds capable of creating such a formation, their initial theory was that it could be a result of a biological event.
Upon closer inspection, the massive formation on the radar was a concentration of beetles and grasshoppers that were flying 2,500 feet in the air. The massive swarm covered an estimated area of about 50 miles.
The NWS contacted officials at the Copper Breaks State Park located in Quanah, Texas in order to confirm the presence of the insect swarm in the area.
David Turner, manager of Copper Breaks State Park, explained that insects, such as grasshoppers and beetles, are a common feature in agricultural locations in Texas.
"We have grasshoppers and beetles around here but not anything more than usual," Turner said.
While park visitors would have seen insects flying around them, they would have had a more difficult time spotting the concentration of insects in the sky. The swarm may have appeared as a massive formation of clouds on the meteorologists' radar, but they were traveling in the sky at varying elevations.
Kurtz said that it does not take that many bugs to register a formation on the radar. He pointed out that the insect swarm they detected was not of biblical proportions, but it was enough to be picked up by their equipment.
Last week, locals driving on the Savanna-Sabula Bridge in Iowa suddenly found themselves besieged by thousands of flying insects known as mayflies. According to reports, the insects were so many that they were able to cover the vehicles as well as the bridge.
"Biggest thing I noticed was after cars were stopped and sitting for so long while we're trying to get cars moving again is they were probably piled knee high in front of their headlights from just sitting there," Stephen Thayer, a reserve officer at the Sabula Police Department, said.
"We had Iowa DOT came in with a snow plow and actually plow them off and then sand it because it was still pretty slippery. And then Illinois plowed their side."
There were no reported injuries in the event on the Savanna-Sabula Bridge.
Photo: Brian Tomlinson | Flickr
