(Wines&Vines) - The storm that brought rain, thunder and hail across much of California this week caused extensive damage in some Lodi area vineyards.

Described like a Midwestern tornado that obliterates some houses yet leaves others untouched on the same street, the storm shredded leaves and clusters in several vineyards, while others nearby were spared.

“This is the worst hail storm I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been farming for 30 years,” said Tom Hoffman, owner of Heritage Oak Winery and 130 acres of vines. Hoffman said he thinks he may have lost 30% to 50% of his entire Zinfandel crop and could lose more if damaged canes can’t recover or snap off in a strong wind. “We’re just going to have to see what happens,” he said. “There’s a lot of unknowns right now.”

No drought relief, just damage
The storm swept through April 7, bringing rain and several inches of much-needed snow to parched California, but it’s not nearly enough to put a dent in the ongoing drought.

Hoffman’s son, Matt Hoffman, is the grower program coordinator for the Lodi Winegrape Commission. He said there were reports of hail in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the west of Lodi and in the town of Lockeford, Calif., to the east. The most severe hail damage appeared to have occurred in vineyards to the west and north of Lodi city limits.

Matt Hoffman said damage reports ranged from complete defoliation and torn clusters to only partial leaves left with some cane bruising. Based on what he’s seen and heard so far though, Hoffman doesn’t expect the storm to have caused enough damage to significantly affect the 2015 harvest. “From what I can see it’s difficult to get a sense of the scope, but it seems like there’s one smallish area of Lodi that this storm cell hovered on for a while,” he said.