What is a microburst?

A microburst is defined as an intense downdraft that produces strong winds, often in a concentrated area. They can occur during thunderstorms when the air at higher altitudes becomes very cool and dense, rapidly descending towards the ground. As this air descends, it can spread out horizontally upon reaching the surface, resulting in damaging winds that can exceed 100 mph, all within a very localized area. This phenomenon can create significant hazards for aviation during takeoff and landing and can also lead to structural damage on the ground.

In contrast, the other choices do not accurately describe a microburst. A slow-moving precipitation system refers to weather systems that generally generate rain over a prolonged period, which is not characteristic of the rapid and localized nature of microbursts. A type of tornado is a rotating column of air that contacts both a cloud and the ground, which differs fundamentally from the straight-line winds associated with microbursts. A weather balloon anomaly suggests an unusual occurrence related to weather balloons, typically used for collecting data in the atmosphere, which does not pertain to the storm dynamics defining a microburst.