Microburst?

There I was minding my own business when the building started to shake.  As it happens, the building in which I work is an airport hangar located at KPVU.  I work with the Aviation Science department of Utah Valley University developing online learning courses for students pursuing degrees in aviation.  Anyway, I was working this afternoon when my workstation went blank (power spike) no thanks to my giant surge protector.

So I went to the window to see what was going on outside and there's the airport's wind sock sticking straight out like a knight's lance.  I noticed a large amount of dust and debris blowing past the building.  I didn't really think much of it until I saw a SkyWest CRJ900 landing on runway 31.  Now I knew something was up.  It happens on occasion that these jets divert to Provo when the weather in Salt Lake is bad.  While I was at the window I noticed that the building was moving in the wind and the wall I was leaning on was shaking.

I noticed another CRJ on a long base and watched as it turned final being blown WAY off course.  The pilots must have had to make at least a 20 degree bank to correct. Then the beautiful thing, a crab angle so severe the passengers on the right side of the plane must have had a full view of the airport.  They made their descent and then like clockwork lowered the left wing into the wind and put the mains on the tarmac.  Kudos to whomever those RJ900 pilots are.

It was about this time that we heard a large crashing noise.  I decided to go outside to see how bad the wind really was.  When I got to the corner of the building I was nearly knocked over.  Winds were gusting up to at least 50 mph.  When I got back to my office we were told that the building would be shut down and we all had to leave early due to the weather (we were expecting hail and the like coming up later).  On my way out I noticed that two of the four large doors on the north hangar were completely blown off the building.  We're talking HUGE doors here, they have to be at least 35-40 feet by 20-25 feet.

A few "essential" personnel stayed late that night and by the next day the hangar doors were back up and everything looked as though nothing had happened.  Way to go guys!