Anything not tied down went flying as a result of the powerful winds.
When one man brought his family to a Santa Barbara, Calif., beach over Labor Day weekend, they never expected sudden, hurricane-force winds would come out of nowhere.
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Leonard Diaz recorded the wild scene as pandemonium was unleashed on the beach.
Parents on the beach trying to protect their kids in the video, but there was nowhere to hide.
“It was super intense because you are seeing all this debris and beach chairs flying everywhere,” he told Inside Edition. “People don’t know where to run, what to do. People were trying to duck and cover but the thing that is covering you — an umbrella — is suddenly gone.”
Others sought refuge in stores.
The phenomenon, known as a microburst, is a sudden, powerful and localized downdraft air current.
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It only lasted about two minutes but the damage was done. Anything not tied-down went flying. Even giant palm trees were toppled.
"It was just craziness – people yelling and screaming and running for cover,” he recalled. “People were consoling their kids who were crying and looking to see if they were hurt."
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