Photos show the aerial acrobatics before unexpected storms ended a big military airshow

At least 10 people — six military personnel and four civilian vendors at the airshow — sustained injuries as a wet microburst, or a strong downdraft in the middle of a thunderstorm, on Sunday morning brought wind gusts of up to 54 mph.

Two people were transported to a nearby hospital.

Senior Master Sgt. Melissa Healy, a US Air Force flight chief, described the sudden storm in a statement as "dumping a bucket of water," sending "a strong down rush of wind to the ground and spread out in all directions."

Healy said the microburst "occurred right on our doorstep, just 2.5 miles away from the flight line."

"Science and technology have come a long way in advancing forecasting capabilities and increasing forecast accuracy," she said. "Every now and then, though, Mother Nature likes to remind us of who is in control."

The airshow included performances from the US Navy Blue Angels, the US Air Force F-35A Lightning II demo team, the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, and Tora Tora Tora, a commemorative aerial demo team that recreated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Officials at McConnell Air Force Base, where the show was held, said most of the visiting aircraft received "minimal to no damage," but smaller aircraft that were more heavily damaged were kept at a base hangar for repair.

The strong winds flipped a privately owned Cessna 150, which had been brought out that morning before the start of the storm.

A Cessna UC-78 Bobcat, which is a commemorative Air Force aircraft, also sustained damage to its tail assembly after it was pushed into a parked vehicle, a base spokesperson said.

After the storm subsided, the flight line was reopened as base personnel worked to clear the debris, including temporary fencing, porta-potties, and downed tents.

An explosive ordnance disposal team at the base also helped discard the unused pyrotechnics that were intended for the canceled Tora Tora Tora performance and were unsafe to transport. The explosives were detonated safely at a range away from the air base.

Before its unexpected cancellation on Sunday, the military air show attracted more than 65,000 visitors, a record-high in the history of the Air Force base.