LAS VEGAS (AP) — A migration of mild-mannered grasshoppers has left Nevada, but the swarm could return in a few years.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Thursday that National Weather Service meteorologists say the arrival of the grasshoppers in July was attributed to an uncharacteristically wet winter and spring that is likely to repeat in at least five years.
Scientists say the state recorded more rain in six months than the annual average of more than 4 inches a year.
Entomologist Jeff Knight says the number of adult pallid-winged grasshoppers traveling north to central Nevada is not a naturally occurring event that can be predicted or prevented.
Scientists say the migration was recorded a handful of times in the past 50 years and could correlate to the rainy season.