NOAA: Microburst responsible for Crystal Lake damage in July 4 storm

An Independence Day storm that caused massive tree damage within a small area of Crystal Lake last week is thought to have been caused by a microburst.

Lakewood resident and self-described “weather nerd” Elizabeth Novak reached out to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association after seeing photos of the downed trees and then driving through the area Tuesday, Novak said.

Novak shared the response by the NOAA with the Northwest Herald.

“Based on what we saw on radar and the nature of the damage that you and others shared with us, we feel pretty certain that the damage in Crystal Lake was caused by a microburst,” according to the NOAA’s response to Novak.

The microburst was thought to have happened about 11 p.m., near the intersection of Terra Cotta Avenue and East Crystal Lake Avenue, based on reports from the National Weather Service; several incidences of downed trees and damaged power lines were reported during that time.

“You could tell something strange had happened,” Novak said. “Driving down Crystal Lake Avenue Tuesday looked like a war zone. Ten trees down in a five-block radius, and not even a leaf down in the other direction.”

A microburst is a narrow column of sinking air within a thunderstorm, usually about 2.5 miles in diameter, and the downward pushing winds can be up to 100 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service website.

Crystal Lake resident Don Kersten, who believes his home off Terra Cotta Avenue was near the epicenter of the microburst, said he was asleep with his wife and kids when the microburst hit Monday night.

“It hit pretty damn hard,” Kersten said. “We thought it was lightning. There was a giant flash and boom. But I decided it was a microburst after the next day when we saw all the devastation.”

Numerous trees were damaged or felled in and behind Kersten’s yard, as well as others in the neighborhood. About 10 feet of fencing separating yards also had to be removed because of tree damage, Kersten said.

Kersten said he and his wife were removing broken and downed limbs from the yard up through Saturday afternoon.

There are no reports of injuries due to the microburst, and Kersten even noted a silver lining from the event.

“It was a mess, but in the end I got some free firewood,” Kersen said.