Wet Microburst Stage 1
by Kathryn Parent
It's amazing how something so beautifully serene and surreal and awe inspiring, can be so devastating and deadly. The erie, tranquil, calm water of the second largest Great Lake rippled the reflection of this beast along with the accompanying rain curtains on the surface of the water. Normally there are waves to huge swells.
This wet microburst was shot at sunset. The Microburst is being back lit by the setting sun, which shows the distinct ‘Tear Drop’ structure and a rare glimpse of this atmospheric weather phenomena just before making contact with Lake Huron off the west coast of Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
What is a Microburst? It is an intense area of downward forced wind AKA a downdraft and in this case with rain, from sudden cooling high in the storm. A microburst size is normally under 2.5 km. There are 3 stages. This one shown here just before it makes contact with the surface. Stage 2 as it makes contact with the surface and the third and destructive Stage 3. The winds of Stage 3 can be as strong as an EF2 Tornado or higher, or 150 mph/242 kmh plus. As this intense winds spread out on contact with the ground, called straight line winds, it can blast trees down and destroy structures. People caught in them have been killed. When accompanied by rain they are called a wet Microburst sometimes called a rain bomb.
Light ∙ Vision ∙ Emotion
9000 x 6000px
300ppi
