Several trees were downed and electric poles were broken in the Timber Ridge area due to a microburst during a storm Thursday afternoon. No injuries or structural damage was reported and crews from several county fire departments and VDOT were able to clear the area quickly.
Rockbridge County Fire Chief Nathan Ramsey said in an email that the storm, which hit the area around 3:30 p.m., impacted the 800 block of Mt. Atlas Road with early reports indicating a possible tornado. After contacting the National Weather Service for further review, the assessment was that a microburst had impacted the area.
According to the National Weather Service, microbursts are isolated columns of wind that can impact an area of up to 2.5 miles with wind speeds that can exceed 80 miles an hour. They are caused by cool air collapsing an updraft that has suspended a large amount of hailstones or water droplets, causing them to plummet to the ground and spread out in all directions. The area where the microburst first hits the ground experienced the highest winds and the greatest damage.
In addition to Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue, crews from VDOT, Rockbridge Baths Fire Department, South River Fire Department, and Fairfield Rescue responded to the incident.
No other downed trees or other damage was reported throughout the county in Thursday’s storm, Ramsey told The News-Gazette on Friday.
