| Microbursts and macrobursts
are concentrated drafts of air that burst from thunderstorms, with winds
that can exceed 150 miles
per hour. These blasts of air our often mistaken for tornadoes and are
a present a severe aviation hazard, causing plane wrecks. They also
can damage
buildings and blow down trees. To prevent more plane crashes pilots are
taught how to avoid these downbursts and Doppler Radars are placed in
airports
so trained officials can detect thunderstorms
where downburst and other dangers, such as lightning,
can be detected. A downburst becomes a microbursts if it is concentrated
into a area less than 2.5 miles and it is a macroburst if it extends into
a larger area.
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