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What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

  • Written by Amal Elawady, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University
What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designsA downburst blasts Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017.Natapat Ariyamongkol/iStock/Getty Images Plus

From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive.

When a downburst’s winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to...

Read more: What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test...

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