Helicopter pilot Jerry Ferguson was cruising through the skies above Phoenix on Monday as thunderstorms erupted around the desert city.
While filming the weather for a local television station, Ferguson took a picture that ranks among the best photos ever captured of a dangerous meteorological phenomenon known as a microburst.
SEE ALSO:Earth has another record warm month, but the string may be ending (for now)Microbursts occur when a rush of rain cooled air collapses toward the ground from a parent thunderstorm, crashing to the ground and spreading out at speeds above 100 miles per hour.
The microburst in this image, and in a related timelapse video shot by Bryan Snider from the vantage point of Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport.
As Angela Fritz of the Capital Weather Gang blogwrote on Tuesday, microbursts "form within the main downdraft of the storm, and are triggered by two main physical processes — the drag that’s created by falling rain and hail, and evaporation."
"When water evaporates it cools the air, which makes it more dense and accelerates the descent," she wrote.
Zoomed in image of the rain shaft associated with the microburst.Credit: Jerry FergusonMicrobursts are a major hazard for aircraft that are landing or departing an airport at relatively low rates of speed, since such winds can cause significant airspeed fluctuations and even cause a plane to stall and crash.
For example, the crash of Delta Flight 191 in Dallas in 1985 was blamed on a microburst, as was Pam Am flight 759, a Boeing 727, in New Orleans in 1982.
These crashes and others led to the development of radar technology and warning systems that give pilots early warning of such weather conditions.
One of the leading scientists who investigated microbursts and helped lead the way toward these lifesaving systems was Tetsuya (Ted) Fujita, whose subsequent tornado studies led to the development of the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale.
(责任编辑：休閑)
How Hyperloop One went off the rails
This female tennis player was penalized for removing her shirt
Celebrate National Dog Day with our 10 favorite puppo tweets of 2018
Cynthia Nixon loses NY primary and shares a powerful message to young people on TwitterThis weird squid looks like it has googly eyes, guysPole vaulter claims his penis is not to blame
Following the cringeworthy moment in which pole vaulter Hiroki Ogita's penis grazed the bar and he f
...[详细]CBS' 'The Big Bang Theory' will end with Season 12
It used to be that there was one thing you could count on in this unpredictable media landscape, and
...[详细]Aretha Franklin funeral: Bishop sorry for the way he held Ariana Grande
The bishop who presided over Aretha Franklin's funeral on Friday has since apologized via a statemen
...[详细]CBS' 'The Big Bang Theory' will end with Season 12
It used to be that there was one thing you could count on in this unpredictable media landscape, and
...[详细]Amazon's Echo made controlling music with your voice easy-peasy, but its sound quality could be a lo
...[详细]Samsung's foldable phone might actually, finally launch this year
Waiting for Samsung's foldable phone has been like waiting for the Yeti: You see a blurry, probably
...[详细]Shop uses photos of Jeff Goldblum to sell stuff and frankly we'll take 1 of everything
The question of how best to sell a photo frame has long plagued store owners.Should they be filled w
...[详细]You know you love Windows 95, and now it's an app
For kids of a certain era, Windows 95 was part of our first experience with computers. If the relati
...[详细]New Zealand designer's photo series celebrates the elegance of aging
Not only is age nothin’ but a number -- it can be a asset when it comes to style. 。 That’
...[详细]Scenes of joy as India finally decriminalises gay sex
In a landmark decision for LGBTQ rights and the community in India, the country's highest court has
...[详细]Over 82,000 evacuate as Blue Cut fire rapidly spreads in southern California
CBS' 'The Big Bang Theory' will end with Season 12