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, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0434(1991)006<0470:WMAOTS>2.0.CO;2.
Term edited 22 June 2018.
