What’s the difference between a tornado and a microburst?

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Monday afternoon microburst that ripped through Tempe and the surrounding areas had some people wondering if they had been hit by a tornado.

The National Weather Service confirmed that widespread wind gusts of 70 mph were recorded, with isolated downdraft gusts of 90 mph. That is as strong as an EF0 and EF1 tornado, which is on the weaker end of the tornado scale.

Winds of this magnitude are still dangerous, and it’s understandable why some people say it felt like a tornado came through their neighborhood.

So what’s the difference between a microburst and a tornado? A microburst is created when powerful downdrafts from a thunderstorm slam into the ground and then spread outward.

This outward spreading of the winds creates a pattern of “straight line wind” dama