Watch: ‘Wet microburst’ slams Longview with 80-85 mph winds, damaging buildings

LONGVIEW, Wash. — A freak burst of wind left a trail of damage in Longview on Sunday afternoon as a sprawling low pressure center moved through the Pacific Northwest.

Photos and video from the 500 block of 14th Avenue showed roofs getting peeled off buildings as the storm swept through just after 3 p.m., according to the Longview Fire Department and National Weather Service in Portland.

With the significant damage, the NWS sent a storm survey team to check and see if the winds were by chance triggered by a tornado. Instead, they found evidence that leads them to believe the damage was caused by a ‘wet microburst’.

A microburst is caused by an intense downdraft in a thunderstorm that spreads out when it hits the ground and races outward with ferocious wind gusts. Picture as if the massive cloud just dropped a hundred yards-wide water balloon, only the ballon is filled with both water and air.

When the “balloon” goes “splat”, air and water rush out ahead of the storm.  In this case, NWS Portland’s survey team estimated wind gusts of 80-85 mph occurred in the apparent microburst.

(A “wet” micorburst means it has rain with the wind; a “dry” microburst — more common in desert areas — is just air; the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground.)

You can see here on surveillance video provided to Longview Fire Department by Brusco Tag & Barge shows the winds ripping apart parts of the roofs and nearby building.

In all, four commercial buildings suffered damage, along with other structures, cars and trees, NWS Portland said.

No one was hurt.