Microburst

microburst

A convective downdraft (downburst) that covers an area less than 4 km along a side with peak winds that last 2–5 minutes.

Differential velocity across the divergence center is greater than 10 m s⁻¹. The strong wind shears associated with a microburst can result in aircraft accidents. Microbursts can be wet (contain rain) or dry.

Atkins, N. T., and R. M. Wakimoto, 1991: Wet microburst activity over the southeastern United States: Implications for forecasting. Wea. Forecasting, 6, 470–482, doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1991)006<0470:WMAOTS>2.0.CO;2.

Term edited 22 June 2018.

INDEX
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9