Last Friday, Aug. 23 seemed like a clear summer day until weather conditions changed near the Red Fox and Hunting Country areas of Polk County.

Around 4:50 p.m., a storm that followed a southwest trajectory snapped trees and even turned a shelter upside down.

“It had to be a microburst,” Polk County EMS Director Michael Crater said.

A microburst is a downward gust of wind, which is the same thing as a tornado, but doesn’t rotate like a tornado, Crater said.

The storm came in and out quickly with heavy rains and high winds.

Crater said by 5:15 p.m. calls began to pour into his office about trees blocking roadways and trees falling on houses.

“It lasted about a minute or two, with a big downpour and high winds and it was over,” Crater said.

Much of the Polk County area, including the weather station in Tryon, reported no rain last Friday.