• Images: PHOTOS: Roofs Ripped Off Hotels in West Yellowstone

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONT. -- The National Weather Service in Great Falls, Montana, confirmed the weather event that caused damage to several hotels in West Yellowstone Saturday afternoon was a microburst, according to information released Monday by the agency.

Michael Mercer, one of the two Meteorologists sent to survey the damage, left for the site Saturday night and began work Sunday morning.

Mercer and his colleague spent six to seven hours chasing down interviews and looking for clues to give closure on what exactly descended on the tourist spot.

Several people had told them they knew someone who had a picture or video of the tornado. However, when Mercer finally contacted the person, they didn't have such image -- just pictures of severe weather.

Several agencies helped to piece the clues together, including a plane to get an aerial view of the damage.

Mercer and the crew determined the microburst came from the Southwest and moved to the Northeast. Wind speeds were between 85 to 90 mph. The timeframe was between 3 to 3:05 p.m. The path of destruction stretched for about 1.5 miles.

Many local folks said they saw a tornado, but after reviewing images and testimony, the meteorologist determined what they saw through heavy rainfall was a couple of funnel clouds.

One clue that helped eliminate the possibility of a tornado was no track. Mercer explained tornadoes leave a pattern on trees. The microburst came in Southwest of town which is heavily wooded. From ground and aerial views, no such pattern existed.

Secondly, the debris and the damage to the trees and roofs were all in a straight-line, wind pattern, which is associated with microbursts, not tornadoes.

Mercer said the most damaged building was the Best Western Weston Inn. He observed at least 90 percent of the roof was ripped off. The rest did sustain some amount of damage too.

Even with all the damage to buildings, it was very fortunate no injuries were reported. Mercer believes it was because the tourists were in the park.

At the end of the day, Mercer said he was grateful for the community and all their help to get the information he needed. He also pointed out how folks were ready with chainsaws and other materials to get things back to normal.