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> RECORD OBS-0151 | status: DEBUNKED | filed 2026-07-31
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Crop Circles as Weather Phenomena

RecordOBS-0151
CategoryUnsorted/Other
StatusDEBUNKED
SummarySome researchers proposed that crop circles could be caused by natural weather events, such as localized whirlwinds or electrical phenomena. This theory was considered as an alternative to hoaxes and alien explanations. It was largely abandoned after the hoax confession.
OriginThis theory emerged in the 1980s and 1990s as investigators sought natural explanations for unexplained circles, particularly in the UK and tornado-prone areas of the US.
Claimed
  • Crop circles are caused by whirlwinds or plasma vortexes.
  • Electrical phenomena or unusual weather patterns create the patterns.
  • The appearance of circles in tornado-prone areas supports the weather theory.
Evidence / consensusThe weather theory was speculative and lacked direct evidence. The confession of Bower and Chorley, along with other hoaxers, demonstrated that human action was the primary cause. No natural phenomenon has been proven to create crop circles.
> OBSERVER NOTE:
A desperate attempt to find a natural explanation for what turned out to be a simple prank. The weather theory was a classic case of fitting observations to a hypothesis without evidence.

Sources

  1. Pssst, Crop Circles Were a Hoax - JSTOR Daily

Sources are external and provided for verification. Listing does not imply the Observer endorses their claims.