Microburst Wreaks Havoc in Tempe, Arizona, Leaving Trail of Destruction
On Monday, a powerful microburst tore through Tempe, Arizona, causing widespread damage and destruction. The storm, which packed winds of up to 90 mph, ripped the front off a local auto shop, Autoplex Auto Service, leaving the owner, Dale Sievwright, shaken but grateful to be alive.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender breaks down the microburst that wreaked havoc through Tempe, Arizona and is joined by Dale Sievwright, owner of Autoplex Auto Service, who was inside his shop when the microburst erupted and ripped the doors off of the building he was inside.
A Sudden and Intense Storm
Sievwright described the moment the microburst hit, saying, “We came out, and the front door was just flapping in and out. So we went to try to close the door, and I was trying to hold the door closed and then all of a sudden, we heard the cracking from the windows on the other side, and then we just took off running. And literally, like two seconds later the whole front of the building came off.” 
Dale Sievwright captured the moment a microburst erupted outside of his business, Autoplex Auto Service, seconds before high winds ripped off the doors of the building.
Quick Recovery and Return to Business
Despite the extensive damage, Sievwright and his team were able to reopen the shop the same day, thanks to the help of a disaster relief company. The company assisted in cleaning up broken glass and installing temporary windows, allowing Autoplex Auto Service to get back to business as usual. Sievwright expressed his gratitude, saying, “Everybody here is like, ‘What’s a microburst?’… We do get high winds, but nothing like this.”
A microburst is a type of downburst, spawned from an incredible downdraft that spills from the belly of thunderstorms. According to a damage assessment from the National Weather Service Phoenix, the storm packed widespread 70 mph wind damage, with the worst damage occurring locally where winds reached between 80 and 90 mph.
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