THAXTON, Va. – Crews in Bedford County spent part of the day Monday cleaning up after a severe storm caused damage to trees and powerlines in Thaxton.
10 News asked the National Weather Service in Blacksburg if a storm survey would be conducted Monday.
They said Monday evening that, upon investigation by Emergency Management in Bedford County, the storm damage was ruled straight-line and not tornadic.
The direction in which trees are laying will oftentimes help in determining whether or not a storm was tornadic.
In this case, Bedford County emergency managers more-than-likely saw a divergent tree pattern rather than twists and turns.
The downbursts or microbursts that cause this kind of damage can be just as strong as (if not stronger than) a tornado.
As hot, humid air rises, it condenses into a cloud and grows taller. These water-loaded storms collapse, and that downward force can send trees downward and outward.
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