Damaging Winds Blast Lawrence March 12th, 2006

Snow Across the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast; Unsettled Weather in the West

Light to moderate snow will continue into Saturday over the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast. This weekend into next week, a series of atmospheric rivers will bring gusty winds, periods of heavy rain, and mountain snow to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Colder temperatures are in store for the weekend from the Great Lakes to East Coast. Read More >

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS SURVEYED THE WIND DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF LAWRENCE AROUND 8 AM CST, MARCH 12. THE LARGE AREA OF WIND DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MICROBURST OF 70 TO 90 MPH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

MICROBURSTS ARE VERY STRONG WINDS THAT QUICKLY DESCEND FROM THE BASE OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND THEN SPREAD OUT QUICKLY UPON IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THESE STRAIGHT LINE DAMAGING WINDS CAN CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ACROSS A LARGE AREA.

VIDEO RECEIVED SO FAR TAKEN IN LAWRENCE SHOW THE SUDDEN DOWNBURST FROM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BASE AND THE FANNING OUT OF THE DOWNBURST AS IT HITS THE GROUND, WHICH ALSO CAUSED WIDESPREAD BLOWING DUST.

Snow Across the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast; Unsettled Weather in the West

Damaging Winds Blast Lawrence March 12th, 2006 - NWS Topeka, KS