100728 Windfall
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28 Jul 2010: When flying the backcountry one will spot large patches of forest where the trees have been laid flat, as if swatted. In this photo, the trees have been uprooted and all trunks are pointed in the same direction. This is the result of a microburst, a violent downdraft associated with thunderstorms. They can knock airplanes out of the sky and, as seen here, level acres of forest as if clearcut. From just outside Mt. Zirkes Wilderness Area, southwest of Lake John - 40.722N x -106.575W
