Weather
'Microburst' Up To 80 Miles An Hour Hits Pottstown
The microburst that hit Pottstown during this weekend's storms caused similar damage to a tornado, the National Weather Service said.
POTTSTOWN, PA — During the heavy storms that hit the region Friday night into early Saturday, two specific areas, Pottstown and East Whiteland, were especially hard hit by intense and damaging wind.
The National Weather Service described a powerful wind burst — a "convective microburst" — with gusts ranging from 70 to 80 miles per hour. The burst ripped off a few roofs, tore down trees, and caused the roof to cave in at a local apartment building.
It's not believed that a tornado occurred. But the NWS said that the damage left in the wake of the storm proves that these bursts can just as damaging.
Find out what's happening in Pottstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photos from the scene of Yorkshire apartments, located on N. York Street, showed a large chunk of the roof scattered on the ground alongside debris from the storm.
Microbursts are created inside thunderstorms. They power down to the ground and then spread out. They typically can last from anywhere between just a few moments to several minutes.
Find out what's happening in Pottstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Water rescue on High Street, Pottstown. Tree down on swamp pike blocking road and another at Waltz Golf into road. Lastly a whole lot of water I wasn’t about to cross. Interesting night @phillywx #turnarounddontdrown pic.twitter.com/z2vZnsUrKK
— FlorCast™️ (@theflorcast) November 3, 2018
As day breaks, a better look at the partial roof collapse at the Yorkshire apartments in Pottstown @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/IAh7G1KMW3
— Dan Lee (@Dan_B_Lee) November 3, 2018
The owner of Yorkshire Apts. in Pottstown took us on the roof to survey the damage left from storms overnight. The roof has been tarped and crews will arrive in the morning to start repairs and cleanup @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/CtOXbgYjmD
— Matt Schaffer (@photoguy603) November 3, 2018
A damage survey was conducted to investigate the damage reports in Pottstown and East Whiteland Twp, PA today. It was determined that the damage in both areas was caused by straight line winds associated with microbursts. https://t.co/gCFewVj1LB #pawx #njwx #dewx #mdwx
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) November 3, 2018
Patch file photo
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