LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The National Weather Service is surveying damage in Marion, Taylor, and Casey counties Thursday caused by strong storms Wednesday night. In a preliminary report, they found winds 85-90 mph caused by a macroburst.
The particular damage they found was caused by strong wind, not by a tornado. A macroburst is a strong burst of wind rushing down out of a thunderstorm. When that wind hits the ground, it has nowhere to go but out, just like what happens when you dump a bucket of water onto pavement.
That wind then fans out from the center of the macroburst, causing damage.
MACROBURST with winds 85-90 mph. That’s what @NWSLouisville says did damage near Calvary last night in Marion county. Here’s what that means ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/z0Ndr4k86L
— Hannah Strong (@WxStrong) May 19, 2022
You may have heard our meteorologists use terms like "downburst," "downdraft" or "microburst." Those are all in this same category of strong wind rushing down out of a thunderstorm. This was called a "macroburst" because the wind field or damage was spread over a relatively large area.
Watch WDRB Meteorologist Hannah Strong demonstrate a macroburst in the video above.
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