The Nation : Storms Deliver Blow to Midwest Farmers

Thunderstorms triggered by a cold front developed over parts of the drought-stricken upper Midwest, while parts of the Northeast got heavy rain before the unsettled weather moved off the Atlantic Coast. A strong thunderstorm moved through Oshkosh, Wis., with winds gusting to 65 m.p.h. The National Weather Service said that farmers hit hard by the drought received another blow when hail in northern Ohio thrashed corn and soybean crops. Some residents used snow shovels to scoop up hail piled 3 to 4 inches deep that turned parched, brown lawns into a winter wonderland in Fitchville. Huron County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Sommers said he saw hail the size of marbles pierce “green tomatoes like bullets.”