MASSIVE Ladybug Swarm Shows Up On Weather Radar Over California
A swarm of ladybugs about 10 miles wide and 15 miles long flying at between 5,000 and 9,000 feet showed up on the National Weather Service radar.
By Marilyn Nelson on June 6, 2019
At first Forecasters were super confused, because it was a relatively clear day. No rain or thunderstorms were expected. But there it was. Something was creating a giant blob over San Bernadino County.
“The radar was showing there was something out there,” said Mark Moede, a forecaster with the NWS told KCRA. “We looked at the satellite image, but there weren’t clouds that size in the area.”
A Meteorologist on duty called weather spotters in the area to confirm what the radar was showing. Finally, one of the spotters determined the mysterious cloud was actually a giant swarm of ladybugs!
According to the radar, the phenomenon known as a ladybug “bloom,” was flying about a mile above the ground measuring 10 miles wide and 15 miles long.
“In California, the beetles are known to winter in the Sierra and gather in huge masses in valley areas in the spring to feed and mate,” according to KCRA, “usually in the same places year after year.”
The large echo showing up on SoCal radar this evening is not precipitation, but actually a cloud of lady bugs termed a "bloom" #CAwx pic.twitter.com/1C0rt0in6z
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) June 5, 2019
