The National Weather Service in Jackson reports it was a strong microburst with 80 mile per hour winds that toppled trees near Natural Bridge in Powell County Tuesday night. Powell Judge-Executive Eddie Barnes said he was the first outside responder to arrive at the scene.
“Multiple trees down over the roadways, had one tree on one of the cabins at Natural Bridge, another tree over a vehicle, another tree down that had landed on a tent.”
Despite the damage, Barnes said no one was injured. He said he spoke with a park ranger shortly after he got there.
“He had described it as a circular motion, said a lot of leaves limbs and stuff was being blown around, not down – around – indicating that it was in a circular twisting motion.”
Meteorologist Jane Marie Wix of the National Weather Service in Jackson said microburst winds hit the ground and rebound upwards, sometimes creating eddies and leading some to believe they were tornados.
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