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Microburst at Wichita air show injures several, causes damage

KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong said several Oklahomans had to change their plans because of the storm.

Microburst at Wichita air show injures several, causes damage

KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong said several Oklahomans had to change their plans because of the storm.

WEEKEND? COMING UP ZACH. SOUNDS GOOD. DAMON. THANK YOU. THE FRONTIERS IN FLIGHT AIR SHOW IN WICHITA WAS INTERRUPTED ON SUNDAY AFTER STRONG WINDS CAUSED DAMAGE AND EVEN INJURED SOME PEOPLE. WE HAVE FIELD METEOROLOGIST MICHAEL ARMSTRONG JOINING US LIVE NOW. MICHAEL, I UNDERSTAND SEVERAL OKLAHOMANS ACTUALLY HAD TO CHANGE THEIR PLANS BECAUSE OF THE STORM, RIGHT? IT’S VERY POPULAR. THERE WERE 65,000 PEOPLE UP AT THE AIR SHOW ON SATURDAY ALONE. ZACH. SO THAT’S RIGHT. WE’VE SEEN SEVERAL MICROBURSTS IN OKLAHOMA OVER THE PAST TEN DAYS. AND THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR FOR THOSE THEY USUALLY HIT IN THE AFTERNOON OR THE EVENING. BUT THIS STORM IN WICHITA, IT HIT EARLY IN THE MORNING. THE WINDS PEAKED AT 52MPH. AND THAT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH, BUT IT IS WHEN YOU ARE ON A FLIGHT LINE WITH NOTHING TO BLOCK THE WIND. ONE PLANE WAS FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND NUMEROUS TENTS WERE BLOWN OVER AS DEBRIS BEGAN FLYING. THE AIR SHOW HADN’T OPENED TO VISITORS YET, BUT SIX AIRMEN AND FOUR CIVILIAN VENDORS WERE INJURED. MOST OF THE INJURIES WERE MINOR, BUT TWO PEOPLE DID HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. AND IT WASN’T JUST THE WIND, IT WAS THE LIGHTNING TOO, LIKE IT WAS HITTING STUFF ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD LIKE YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE TREES GETTING HIT, LIKE RIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY AND A I’M NOT REALLY SCARED OF LIGHTNING, BUT THAT KIND OF LIGHTNING, IT KIND OF SCARED ME. DEREK GIBSON FROM NORMAN MADE THE DRIVE TO WICHITA HOPING TO SEE THE SHOW ONE MORE TIME. AND WHEN I SEEN THE VIDEO OF IT, I COULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW BECAUSE IT DIDN’T HAPPEN AROUND US. THERE WAS NO HIGH WIND AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE OUTSIDE OF THE BASE LIKE THAT. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST A REMINDER. I KNOW WE OFTEN THINK, OH, IT’S ALL ABOUT TORNADOS, BUT LISTEN, EVEN IN THE SUMMER, YOU GOT TO STAY WEATHER AWARE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, BECAUSE IT DOESN’T TAKE A TORNADO WHEN YOU ARE OUTSIDE AT ANY EVENT. JUST A WILD SITUATION THERE ON SUNDAY MORNING AND THEY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND OPTED FOR SAFETY, EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF PEOP
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Microburst at Wichita air show injures several, causes damage

KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong said several Oklahomans had to change their plans because of the storm.

The Frontiers in Flight air show in Wichita was interrupted on Sunday after strong winds caused damage and injured several people. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppOklahoma has seen several microbursts in the last 10 days, and they usually hit in the afternoon or evening. But the storm in Wichita hit early in the morning. KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong said several Oklahomans had to change their plans because of the storm.The winds peaked up at 52 mph. While that may not sound like much, it is when someone is on a flight line with nothing to block the wind. One plane was flipped over, and numerous tents were blown over as debris began flying. The airshow hadn't opened to spectators when the storm hit, but six airmen and four civilian vendors were injured. Most of the injuries were minor, but two people had to go to the hospital. "It was hitting stuff on the side of the road, like you could actually see the trees getting hit like right on the highway. And I'm not really scared of lightning, but that kind of lightning, it kind of scared me," Derek Gibson, who made the drive to Wichita to see the show, said. "When I seen the video of it, I couldn't believe what I saw, because it didn't happen around us. There was no high wind around, you know, the outside of the base like that. So, we had no idea."Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.This is just a reminder to stay weather aware no matter where anyone is, because it doesn't take a tornado to cause damage. Top Headlines Unbelievable OHP photo shows trailer stuck upright against sign over I-35 in Ardmore Man wins more than $430,000 – only a day after buying a new house, lottery officials say Oklahoma grocery tax cut takes effect Thursday, stores prepare for change Shawnee Public Schools superintendent placed on leave amid OSDE investigation Mariah Carey's mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her 'heart is broken'

The Frontiers in Flight air show in Wichita was interrupted on Sunday after strong winds caused damage and injured several people.

>> Download the KOCO 5 App

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Oklahoma has seen several microbursts in the last 10 days, and they usually hit in the afternoon or evening. But the storm in Wichita hit early in the morning.

KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong said several Oklahomans had to change their plans because of the storm.

The winds peaked up at 52 mph. While that may not sound like much, it is when someone is on a flight line with nothing to block the wind.

One plane was flipped over, and numerous tents were blown over as debris began flying.

The airshow hadn't opened to spectators when the storm hit, but six airmen and four civilian vendors were injured. Most of the injuries were minor, but two people had to go to the hospital.

"It was hitting stuff on the side of the road, like you could actually see the trees getting hit like right on the highway. And I'm not really scared of lightning, but that kind of lightning, it kind of scared me," Derek Gibson, who made the drive to Wichita to see the show, said. "When I seen the video of it, I couldn't believe what I saw, because it didn't happen around us. There was no high wind around, you know, the outside of the base like that. So, we had no idea."

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

This is just a reminder to stay weather aware no matter where anyone is, because it doesn't take a tornado to cause damage.


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