VIDEO: Grasshopper swarm so large it appears on weather radar

It seems that in the US, the weather forecast is going to be cloudy, with a chance of grasshoppers.

In town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, grasshoppers are swarming so thick that they are showing up on the radars of the National Weather Service (NWS), reported USA Today.

"At first, there was some question about what it was," said David Craft, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Albuquerque.

They ruled out the fact that the images were rain clouds because they did not have "clean edges" and they were showing up their radars far longer than usual.

"Showers and thunderstorms come up and go down. They don't last long," Craft said.

Swarm origins.

USA Today talked to Paul Smith from the urban biology division at the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department to find out how the swarm came about.

Apparently, Albuquerque's heavy rainfall late last year led to an increase in the area's vegetation, on which the grasshoppers feed. 

The grasshopper population multiplied, but then were forced to move to the city to search for water after a recent drought.

While they are generally harmless, they have been a nuisance.

"When people are jogging or biking, they smack people in the face, and it can hurt," said John Garlisch, extension agent at the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service.

While no one can say how long the their swarm will be around, Mr Garlisch has this to say to suggest how the people of Albuquerque can survive the infestation.

"Catch them and go fishing. Dip them in chocolate," Garlisch said. "Have fun with it."

Really, now?

Source: USA Today