The Science Behind a Microburst

I wanted to get some more information in regards to the “microburst” weather occurance which was one part of the puzzle that helped collapse the Cowboys indoor practice facility. I got some clarification from  weather expert, Frank Billingsley of KPRC, Click2Houston.com. When asked to explain the science behind the microburst he said:

In simplest terms, this was a ‘microburst’.  A microburst is an intense downdraft of wind in a thunderstorm which easily exceeds 70mph and often reaches 100mph.  Here’s how it happens—as a thunderstorm moves along it has updrafts and downdrafts; and the storm is moving into warmer air and behind it is cooler air (one of the reasons it often feels cooler after the storm passes).  So in the rear flank of a storm we often see a cold slot develop (several thousand feet up).  A downdraft can move through that cold slot of air and because cold air sinks the cold slot causes the sinking air to sink even faster!  So you get this acceleration of cold air heading down to Earth—it’s a small (micro) burst of wind. (Frank Billingsley, KPRC)

As you can tell this was a quick violent burst of destructive hurricane type forced air, so the question will be asked whether or not these types of structures are designed adequetely enough to stand up to these types of winds.