Dust Devils

On dry, hot days, the atmosphere next to the ground becomes unstable. As the warm air rises, wind blowing past an obstruction twists, forming a rotating column of air, known as a dust devil. The air usually picks up sand, dust, and leaves. Dust devils have similar features to tornadoes, but are different in they ways they form. Tornadoes are spawned from thunderstorms, while you are more likely to spot a dust devil on a clear day. Dust devils range in size from 10’ to over 100’ wide, and can reach up to 1,000’ high. The top winds speeds associated with these phenomena are about 60 mph, which would be considered a weak (EF0) tornado.

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