Severe microburst in Cooks Falls leads to death of woman

DELAWARE COUNTY, NY (WIVT/WBGH) — A woman tragically died in Delaware County over the weekend during a severe storm with winds of 90 mph.

A strong microburst wind event occurred near Cooks Falls on Sunday morning, with the highest concentrations occurring between Cooks Hollow and Butternut Grove in the Beaver Kill Valley and the Russell Brook drainage area.

What is a microburst?

A microburst is an outward and downward burst of strong winds in a small, confined area about three kilometers in diameter. They usually form from above an existing thunderstorm when dry air combines with the precipitation from a storm and raindrops quickly evaporate.

This causes a rapid drop in temperature as the cooled air falls to the ground at high speed, accelerating as it does so. This sensation results in strong gusts of wind directly to the ground, which spread in all directions after impact, damaging everything in their path.

What happened in Cooks Falls?

According to the NWS, the microburst formed late Sunday morning, June 30, around 10:35 a.m.

Winds of around 90 mph (145 km/h) damaged cars, trees, RVs and tents in Cooks Hollow and Butternut Grove. Trees and large branches fell on RVs, cars and tents, resulting in the death of a woman when a large tree snapped and fell on her campsite, crushing her.

The micro-explosion lasted only about five minutes, but according to witnesses on site, the damage was considerable. At least one other person was injured by a blow to the head.

This is a developing story. Stay with News 34 until more information becomes available.