How long can microbursts last?

How long can microbursts last?

• A. Up to 5 minutes
• B. Up to 15 minutes
• C. Up to 60 minutes
• D. Up to 2 minutes

Answer: (B)

Microbursts are brief, intense downdrafts in a thunderstorm that create a sharp, short-lived surge of winds at the surface. The core downdraft itself lasts only a few seconds to a minute or two, but the outflow gust front that spreads from the storm can persist as the cell moves, typically totaling on the order of several minutes. In training and weather references, a microburst event is commonly cited as lasting up to about 15 minutes. That up-to-15-minutes upper bound best matches the overall duration of the gusty conditions you’d experience, whereas 60 minutes would be far too long and 5 minutes or 2 minutes would often undersell the persistence of the gust front.

Microbursts are brief, intense downdrafts in a thunderstorm that create a sharp, short-lived surge of winds at the surface. The core downdraft itself lasts only a few seconds to a minute or two, but the outflow gust front that spreads from the storm can persist as the cell moves, typically totaling on the order of several minutes. In training and weather references, a microburst event is commonly cited as lasting up to about 15 minutes. That up-to-15-minutes upper bound best matches the overall duration of the gusty conditions you’d experience, whereas 60 minutes would be far too long and 5 minutes or 2 minutes would often undersell the persistence of the gust front.