Microburst the likely cause of storm damage in Northern Berrien County

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Just before 8 p.m. Thursday evening, a microburst thunderstorm formed offshore of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.

The rain-cooled-air from the storm crashed on-shore, with wind gusts estimated up to 60 miles per hour.

A microburst is a small-scale wind event, where damage is mostly confined to an area of less than three square miles.

This event fits the criteria with most reports from St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, and Benton Township.

The temperature went form the upper 80s before the storm, to the lower 70s after the storm, another reflection of the power of the rain cooled air.