Wind shear
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Wind shear, sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as e
Cirrus uncinus ice crystal plumes showing high-level wind shear, with changes in wind speed and direction
Down draft winds with associated virga allow these clouds in the eastern sky at civil twilight to mimic aurora borealis in the Mojave Desert.
Microburst schematic from NASA. The direction of travel is downward until the air current hits ground level, at which point it spreads outward in all directions. The wind regime in a microburst is completely opposite to a tornado.[citation needed]
Strong wind shear in the high troposphere forms the anvil-shaped top of this mature cumulonimbus cloud, or thunderstorm.
Downburst
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In meteorology, a downburst is a strong downward and outward gushing wind system that emanates from a point source above and blows radially, that is, in straight lines in all directions from the area
Wind shear
…distance, but it can be associated with mesoscale or synoptic scale weather features such as squall lines and cold fronts. It is commonly observed near microbursts and downbursts caused by thunderstorms, fronts, areas of locally higher low-level winds referred to as low-level jets, near mountains, radiation…
A downburst seen in Phoenix, Arizona.
Downburst damage in a straight line.
Dry microburst schematic