Thursday, October 9, 2014

Microburst Leaves Damage in Easthampton, Massachusetts

Easthampton, Massachusetts experienced damaging winds that knocked down trees and power lines due to a microburst. The microburst occurred on Wednesday at 4:53 am eastern time, producing straight line winds that reached up to 100 mph. The microburst started out on the west side of Mount Tom and moved from southwest to northwest of it. Chrissy Warrilow defines a microburst as:

"an intense downburst -- or downward-moving column of air produced by a thunderstorm -- that produces straight-line winds that affect an area less than 2.5 miles wide. They contain peak winds that last less than 5 minutes but can cause immense property damage"

Consequently, the high winds of the microburst caused lots of trees to tumble over, scattering along Route 141 and trapping several vehicles along the road. The damage caused by the microburst spanned about a mile long and a quarter-mile wide. Many homes lost power and were experienced some damage. It was reported that some residents were slightly injured as well but did not require them to be taken to a hospital.

No photo available.

Link: http://www.wunderground.com/news/easthampton-massachusetts-microburst-severe-weather-20141008

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