Microburst Benton County
By:
Updated: April 17, 2007
There was a weather phenomena known as a microburst. The way it works is a building cloud turns into a big thunderstorm which contains a lot of rain drops. If the winds are weak in the upper levels... typical of a summertime pattern, the thunderstorm can collapse on itself. As the thunderstorm collapses, the area of rain drops rapidly beneath the base or bottom of the thunderstorm. Since the air is drier at the ground compared to the cloud during summertime weather, it tries to evaporate. This cools the air and makes it denser... the more it cools the more dense or heavy the area of descending rain becomes. This causes the rain to accelerate as it rushes towards the ground and once it hits the ground... the air spreads out in all directions and can cause winds up to 100mph. For an example on what a microburst looks like, go to the following link:
http://www.ral.ucar.edu/applications/llwas/microburst-slide-lge-hvs.jpg
(Courtesy of UCAR)
