"We saw rainfall upwards of half an inch in 10 to 15 minutes," a National Weather Service meteorologist told The Arizona Republic.

The accident involving a Delta Air Lines Lockheed Tristar in 1985 taught the world a great deal about microbursts and ...

So what’s the difference between a microburst and a tornado? A microburst is created when powerful downdrafts from a thunderstorm slam into the ground and then spread outward.

In about 15 minutes, Tempe recorded nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain. A supercell thunderstorm forms when wind speed and direction change with height, a phenomenon called wind shear.