microburst

American  

[mahy-kruh-burst] / ˈmaɪ krəˌbɜrst /

noun

Meteorology.

1. an intense, localized downdraft of air that spreads on the ground, causing rapid changes in wind direction and speed; a localized downburst.

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microburst British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌbɜːst /

noun

1. another name for downburst

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microburst Scientific  

/ mī′krō-bûrst′ /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of microburst

First recorded in 1980–85; micro- + burst

Example Sentences

Her cabin was damaged not by the July 14 storm, but by a subsequent microburst 10 days later that ripped through Wonder Valley, an unincorporated community on the outskirts of Twentynine Palms.

From Los Angeles Times

“I guess it was like a microburst or something to that effect, but apparently it was raining harder than usual and then the windows started to buckle and snapped over. These windows on the side just kind of came apart and came out of the building,” Sekula told the news station.

From Seattle Times

Bunderson’s company’s ground sensors have also measured “megaevents” of more than 15,000 pollen grains per cubic meter within one hour, which he said typically occur as a microburst on the front end of a storm.

From Washington Post

Once, ahead of a trip in a boat, its forecast failed to predict an impending microburst—an extreme, hyperlocalized weather system—and I got stuck on the water in 40 knots of wind with two people’s lives in my hands.

From Slate

A “microburst” is a highly localized downburst.

From Scientific American