What you need to know about downbursts and their dangers

Downbursts, which are powerful winds caused by a strong downdraft within a thunderstorm, can be dangerous and cause significant damage. 

Due to their similarity in appearance to tornadoes and the similar damage they can cause, downbursts are often misinterpreted as tornadoes. However, they are actually a completely different weather phenomenon. 

It's important to note that downbursts are a general term used to describe both macro and microbursts. Microbursts are smaller in size and affect less area, while macrobursts are larger and can affect more people, properties, and areas.

During the initial stages of a growing thunderstorm, a strong updraft dominates. As the cloud grows vertically, raindrops and hailstones start to form. Sometimes, the updraft is so strong that it suspends a large amount of rain and hail inside the storm. 

Eventually, as the updraft weakens, the rain and hail inside the storm fall rapidly to the ground, dragging a lot of air with it and speeding up as it moves towards the ground. Once the downdraft hits the ground, it spreads out rapidly in all directions, much like a stream of water hitting the sink, and this is what we call a downburst.

Thankfully, meteorologists have significantly improved their understanding of both the formation and detection of downbursts since the early 1980s when an intense study on them began. If a storm is expected to produce a damaging downburst, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued. 

It's worth noting that a Tornado Warning is not issued since a downburst is not a tornado. This is a vital reminder to take Severe Thunderstorm Warnings just as seriously as Tornado Warnings.