Albuquerque radar picking up grasshopper swarms

We’re all familiar with the green shades on TV weather maps representing rain — but in Albuquerque residents are seeing a different kind of green: grasshoppers.

The city and surrounding region are experiencing an epic grasshopper invasion unlike anything seen in over 20 years — a phenomenon that’s so intense the millions of little critters are actually showing up on National Weather Service radar as rain.

A dry and warm winter is being blamed for the outbreak — grasshopper eggs leftover from last season were able to survive the winter and hatched, causing a surplus of the insects.

Forecasters are left to distinguish if the green is grasshoppers or actual rain — and hopefully clarifying things for laymen looking at the maps.

Watch ABCNews.com’s report on the infestation here:

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