microburst
an intense, localized downdraft of air that spreads on the ground, causing rapid changes in wind direction and speed; a localized downburst.
Origin of microburst
1Words Nearby microburst
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use microburst in a sentence
The unstable air fueled intense but short-lived storm updrafts that quickly paved the way for torrential downpours, concentrated cloud-to-ground lightning and the microbursts.
D.C. braces for second night of storms after deadly lightning strike | Jason Samenow, Jeffrey Halverson | August 5, 2022 | Washington PostSupercell storms may also draw down momentum from the fast winds aloft to the ground, creating localized pockets of straight-line wind damage, or microbursts, as noted above.
Severe weather threat ends after damaging tornado in Annapolis | Jason Samenow, Jeffrey Halverson, Matthew Cappucci | September 1, 2021 | Washington Post
British Dictionary definitions for microburst
/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌbɜːst) /
another name for downburst
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for microburst
[ mī′krō-bûrst′ ]
A sudden, violent downdraft of air over a small area (less than 16 sq km or 6.24 sq mi) that lasts at least 25 minutes. Microbursts can cause winds with speeds as high as 270 km (167 mi) per hour. They are difficult to detect and predict with standard weather instruments. They are especially hazardous to airplanes during landing or taking off.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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