Spring 2025 already brings back a classic challenge for farmers: storms.

These atmospheric giants, can reach an altitude of more than 15 kilometers, carry with them an explosive cocktail: hail, destructive gusts, torrential rains and sometimes even... lightning. What is striking is not only their intensity, but their increasing frequency, a direct symptom of climate change. And for farmers, these are major economic losses, destroyed crops, damaged investments.

❄️ Hail: crops destroyed in just a few minutes

These little balls of ice coming from the sky give no warning. They fall suddenly and transform promising land into devastated fields. Vineyards, orchards, open-field vegetables: everything can pass through in just a few moments. Torn fruits and leaves, broken stems.

There is no clear distinction between thunderstorms that produce hail or not: almost all severe thunderstorms produce hail at altitude, although it can melt before reaching the ground, making its detection very complicated. That said, weather tools like Sencrop make it possible to anticipate variations in rain intensity, wind and temperature, making it possible to anticipate the risk.

🔎 With Sencrop:

• The rain radar makes it possible to monitor the intensity and movement of rain cells in real time. An important indicator of hail potential, especially when temperature data varies suddenly.
• After the storm, the history helps evaluate the most impacted areas, thus guiding the farmer for a rapid assessment of damage in the field.
• Thanks to the collaborative network, you can follow the evolution of rain throughout your territory by cross-referencing data from other farmers.

🌱 Agronomic solutions:

• Install anti-hail nets: particularly profitable on perennial crops and the most reliable means of protection, but expensive to maintain.
• Install an anti-hail cannon: activated at the right time, it sends a powerful wave transforming hailstones into rain so as not to damage crops.
• Adapt the planting density to limit breakage in the event of impact.
• Implement a rapid post-hail strategy: cleaning, pruning, healing treatments depending on the damage.

💨 Strong winds: stress for grain growers

A storm is more than just heavy rain — it often brings powerful wind gusts exceeding 62 mph, capable of flattening wheat, barley, or rapeseed in their path. When stems bend or break, the impact on yield is both immediate and severe.

🔎 With Sencrop:

• The Windcrop connected anemometer measures speed, direction and gusts directly on your plots.
• Sencrop forecasts, connected to your locally placed anemometer, continuously select the most reliable forecast model for the wind, to anticipate up to 4 days ahead.
• Thanks to the collaborative network, you follow the evolution of the wind throughout your territory by cross-referencing data from other farmers.

This information allows you to best organise your phytosanitary interventions (which would be ineffective and volatile in strong winds), or to secure sensitive equipment in time.

🌱 Agronomic solutions:

• Choose varieties that are more wind resistant (shorter, more rigid stems)
• Work on seeding density and nitrogen fertilisation, to avoid excessive and fragile growth.

🌧️ Floods: when the rain stays for too long

A slow-moving storm can be especially destructive. When it lingers over the same area, it releases large volumes of water, quickly saturating the soil. This excess water can flood vast stretches of farmland—particularly in valleys or low-lying areas—leading to nutrient loss and accelerated soil erosion.

🔎 With Sencrop:

• Raincrop connected rain gauges precisely measure the exact rainfall accumulation at in your crop, not 10 km away.
• Weather forecasts can help you better anticipate these events: Sencrop selects the most reliable rainfall model for your area, allowing you to monitor potential risks up to 4 days in advance.
• You can also export the data retrospectively for your campaign analyses.

🌱 Agronomic solutions:

• Install permanent plant cover to improve soil porosity.
• Create grassy strips and water barrier hedges to slow the flow.
• Work without plowing to promote natural infiltration.
• Create temporary retention ponds or work with natural topography to slow the flow of water.

⚡ Lightning: rare, but dramatic

In rare cases, lightning can also impact agricultural land. In very dry areas, a lightning strike can even cause a fire to start. Livestock raised outdoors find themselves directly threatened by hazards.

🔎 With Sencrop:

Although lightning is not measured directly, radar, rain and wind data make it possible to monitor the approach of storms and warn of the associated risk.

🌱 Agronomic/breeding solutions:

• Equip fields and buildings with compliant lightning rod installations.
• For outdoor livestock: bring herds to safety at the first weather alerts.

🎯 Conclusion: connected agriculture to anticipate the unpredictable

Thunderstorms are inevitable. Their intensity, frequency and unpredictability are increasing under the effect of climate change. Anticipate, decide, adapt — these are the new keys to agricultural resilience.

Thanks to connected tools like Sencrop, each farmer can now regain control over weather information, on the scale of their own field.

📱 Stations, alerts, local data. This is precision agriculture in the face of climate challenges.