Microburst
A microburst is a small downdraft that moves in a way opposite of a tornado. Microbursts are extremely hazardous to aircraft. Microbursts are found in strong thunderstorms . Within a thunderstorm there are two types of microbursts: wet microbursts and dry microbursts. They go through three stages in their life cycle: the downburst, outburst, and cushion stages. The scale and suddenness of a microburst makes it a great danger to aircraft due to the low-level wind shear caused by its gust front, with several fatal crashes having been attributed to the phenomenon over the past several decades.
A microburst often has high winds that can knock over fully grown trees. They usually last for a couple of seconds to several minutes.
History of term
The term was defined by mesoscale meteorology expert Ted Fujita as affecting an area 4 km (2.5 mi) in diameter or less, distinguishing them as a type of downburst and apart from common wind shear which can encompass greater areas. Fujita also coined the term macroburst for downbursts larger than 4 km (2.5 mi).
Podcasts:
Microburst
ALBUMS
- Nu Skool Update released: 1996
