Property damage was reported throughout Greene County Tuesday night, resulting from what is believed to be straight line winds.

Weatherology Meterologist Paul Trambley says straight line winds are typically unpredictable, but can cause severe damage much like a tornado. He explains how straight line winds form.

“When you have any showers or thunderstorms we basically have an updraft, which is an upward stream of air into the cloud. Then you have a downdraft, which is a downward stream of air. And at times a downdraft can bring some very high velocity (winds) down to the surface, and as it hits the surface it spreads out, and then it results in straight line winds. So you’ll get these winds that can only be maybe over a mile or so where they really are intense before they dissipate.”

Straight line winds are usually 60-miles-per-hour or greater. Trambley points out there are times where stronger storms can have focused straight line winds that can last 10-30 minutes that can reach over 100-miles-per-hour. However, Trambley explains the determining factors between the damage that is left by straight line winds compared to that of a tornado.

“Basically you’re looking at it is the damage in a cyclonic type of form where things are turned in different directions as far as where the high winds occurred. Or is it all uniform, like are all the trees or all the damage is oriented maybe in one direction. If that’s the case, then they’re going to look at it as a straight line wind event.”

Because straight line winds are hard to predict, Trambley says one way to tell is from radar indicated wind velocities to give weather officials lead times to issue warnings, which in the case of Tuesday night’s incidents, no warnings or watches were issued by the National Weather Service.