Derecho Impacts on Crop Condition Ratings and Yield in the United States

Derechos have profound societal impacts in the United States, as these long-lived, extratropical windstorms can generate billion-dollar losses and pose a significant threat to life, infrastructure, and industry. In the context of agriculture, the 10 August 2020 Midwest derecho resulted in millions of damaged corn and soybean acreage—a multi-billion USD agricultural loss event according to NOAA. While previous studies have examined the mechanical impacts of wind gusts on plants during crop phenological stages, the overall impact that derechos have on crop conditions and yield have not been explicitly examined to date. Using 1-km radar reflectivity data, observed wind measurements, and a mesoscale convective system identification and tracking tool, derecho footprints are developed and applied to weekly USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service gridded crop condition layers from 2015-2023 to assess county-level impacts on crop conditions and yield. Results reveal agricultural conditions are negatively affected throughout the growing season, despite the abundant precipitation associated with derechos, with some recovery in early vegetative stages but notable deterioration during later reproductive stages, particularly when preexisting drought conditions heighten crop vulnerability. These results provide critical information for agricultural stakeholders, including crop producers, farm organizations, policymakers, researchers, and agribusiness, who can use these statistics to implement effective management strategies to maximize productivity during extreme weather events such as derechos.