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Wednesday, July 08, 2009 9:30 PM

Microburst by definition ... Princeton video

By COURTNEY SERVAES, Herald Staff Writer

Joshua Bryant has been chasing storms for 13 years.

His most recent venture: a microburst storm in Princeton damaging trees, homes, fences and buildings.

“I didn’t have instrumentation, but I’d estimate the winds at 70 mph with gusts toward 90 mph,” Bryant, who studied meteorology at Saint Louis University, said. “I was surprised by the longevity of the storm — most storms that blow this hard and fast fizzle out rather quickly, but this one held together.”

Bryant was visiting his parents in the area when the storm hit. He said the storm lasted about 10 minutes as it traveled through the Princeton area with winds he compared to a hurricane.

“The storm sounded like a vacuum cleaner in reverse at a waterfall,” he said. “All I could hear was the sound of rushing wind and falling water.”

Bryant, a graduate of Central Heights High School, added that this particular storm was difficult to judge because it was a surprise.

“Nobody knew anything about it,” Bryant said. “The power was knocked out before the storm reached Princeton, so media reports were not available.”

By the time Bryant’s family got the battery powered radio running, the storm was already on top of them, he said.

“This storm just happened to come to me,” Bryant said. “My main interest in storms revolves around ensuring families are prepared to encounter a situation when they find themselves caught off guard like today.”

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