What are plough winds?
Following very destructive storms in the towns of Oxbow and Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan in 1995, I received several letters asking about plough winds. Two letters came from residents of Oxbow, Gina Helmer and Bonnie Morrow. Plough winds belong to a family of strong, straight-line downburst winds found in thunderstorms. As for the name, I can only guess one helped to plough a field and was so named. Inside a severe thunderstorm there are both updrafts and downdrafts of air. The downdrafts rush to the ground with great force, maybe 100 to 150 km/h and occasionally even higher. When they strike the ground the air spreads horizontally in a burst of wind, much like water pouring from a tap and striking the sink below. Plough winds can blow continuously but the damage is usually confined to an area less than 3 km across. They are capable of toppling trees, ripping apart buildings and lifting roofs. In fact, plough winds and other downbursts may be responsible for some damage attributed to torn
