Damaging Winds Blast Lawrence March 12th, 2006

Severe Thunderstorms in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys; Flash Flooding Possible in the Southwest

Scattered damaging winds, isolated severe hail, and a brief tornado or two are possible from the Upper Ohio to Tennessee Valleys during the late afternoon and evening. Across the Southwest, monsoonal moisture will continue to bring heavy rain and a threat for isolated to scattered flash flooding through Saturday. 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.

Severe Thunderstorms in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys; Flash Flooding Possible in the Southwest

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