CLEVELAND — We're no strangers to the occasional severe thunderstorm here in Northeast Ohio, but with the threat of severe weather, comes the threat of a microburst.
What is a microburst? It is a sudden and intense barrage of strong winds in a hyper localized area during a thunderstorm.
Here's is how microburst forms:
Big Storm Cloud: First, you need a big storm cloud up in the sky. Inside this cloud, there's lots of rain and sometimes ice.
Cold Air: Really cold air gets mixed in with the rain and ice inside the cloud.
Heavy Rain: The cold air makes the rain and ice very heavy, so they start to fall very quickly towards the ground.
Splash Down: When all that heavy rain and wind hit the ground, they spread out really fast in all directions. This can cause a brief burst of damaging winds.
This fast-spreading wind and rain can be very strong, and that's what we call a microburst. It's like a super fast, super strong gust of wind that can knock down trees and sometimes even cause damage to buildings.