At 8 a.m. yesterday, a severe thunderstorm on the west side of campus caused a microburst that resulted in some damage.

“A microburst is a gust of wind that covers a small area, which is a result of a severe thunderstorm,” NIU meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said.

“As moist, warm air wafts into the air, it cools and comes crashing to the ground,” he said.

As the air “crashes” to the ground, the wind curls and spreads outward, increasing the speed of the wind gusts.

The storm occurred just east of the Convocation Center and moved southeast across campus.

Sebenste estimated that the winds on the west end of campus reached about 80 mph during the peak gust.

Assistant Director of Public Affairs Joe King said only the Dorland Building on the southwest end of campus was damaged. He said the storage building had some shingles torn off, which resulted in some leakage.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, there was no estimate for the cost of the damage.

Sebenste said more thunderstorms are in the forecast until Tuesday morning, with the possibility of severe thunderstorms. Some storms may produce winds of 58 mph or greater.

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