CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The town of Cherryville will receive North Carolina state disaster recovery aid following May 17 storms that caused more than $10,000 worth of damage within the Gaston County town.
On Friday, Governor Roy Cooper signed the state disaster declaration.
“This state disaster declaration will help the people of Cherryville as they recover from strong winds and a thunderstorm,” Cooper said in a released statement.
The damage was caused by a severe thunderstorm that produced a microburst.
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: What is a microburst?
A microburst, also known as a downburst, is a small-but-might weather phenomenon that can cause damaging winds. Downbursts are the result of air that sinks rapidly to the surface. These “bursts” of air then hit the ground, which results in the spreading out of that area in a 360-degree direction.
The National Weather Service found Wednesday storm damage consistent with a microburst of winds upwards of 85 mph. The storm produced damaging winds over a two-mile width as it traveled 4.8 miles across the town.
In Carolina history, microburst wind speeds have been clocked as high as 175 mph near Morehead City, North Carolina. While microbursts are not tornadoes, they too can destroy entire buildings and are incredibly hard to predict.
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