Charles Foley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, confirmed Thursday afternoon that a microburst did hit East Arlington Wednesday evening. He said winds were estimated to have been between 70 and 80 mph.

Complete Coverage of the East Arlington Microburst

Officials from the National Weather Service surveyed the damage in East Arlington Thursday morning with local emergency personnel to find out more about the violent storm.

Connection to 2010 Microburst?

Although some East Arlington residents have questioned whether their neighborhood is more susceptible to microbursts due to the same occurrence in 2010, Foley said the two storms are a mere coincidence.

“It’s all where the cells converge,” he said.

The microburst was confirmed on Twitter by WXIBOX, an amateur radio station at the National Weather Service’s Taunton office, on Wednesday evening.

Microbursts are the result of powerful thunderstorms, which push wind straight down to the ground according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. When that happens, the wind then shears across the ground at breakneck speeds, intensifying the effects of the rain and lightning. Foley said microbursts span an area of less than 2.5 miles.

Wednesday’s storm was part of a series of powerful thunderstorms that soaked the region with heavy rain, along with large hail stones.