A massive dust devil swirled near a highway in the El Paso area, kicking up a towering column of dust and debris as it moved across the landscape.
Dust devils are relatively common in hot, dry conditions, forming when intense surface heating creates rising air that begins to rotate. They can range from small whirlwinds to much larger, powerful vortices.
While most dust devils are short-lived, drivers should still give them plenty of space. Blowing dust can sharply reduce visibility, and stronger vortices can toss debris into the roadway.
Watch: Massive dust devil spins up along El Paso highway
What is a dust devil?
A dust devil is a small, rotating column of air that forms near the ground on hot, dry days, according to the National Weather Service. Unlike tornadoes, which form from thunderstorms, dust devils usually develop
under clear skies when the sun heats the ground intensely. As the surface warms, the air directly above it heats up and rises quickly through the cooler air above. If conditions are just right, typically involving light winds and unstable air, the rising hot air begins to spin, creating a vertical column of rotating air.
This rotating column can pick up loose dust, dirt and debris from the ground, making the swirling vortex visible as it moves across the surface. Dust devils are generally harmless and short-lived, lasting only a few minutes, but larger ones can cause minor damage or pose a hazard at construction sites or airports.
Are dust devils dangerous?
Most dust devils are harmless and short-lived, causing little more than a brief nuisance. However, stronger dust devils can produce wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph, powerful enough to lift objects like trampolines or cause minor damage to vehicles and buildings.
Injuries from dust devils are extremely rare, but a few incidents have been documented, according to the National Climatic Data Center. In 2003, a dust devil ripped the roof off an auto shop in Maine, causing the two-story building to collapse and fatally injuring one person. On June 18, 2008, a woman in Wyoming was killed when a dust devil flipped a small scorer's shed at a youth baseball field onto her while she sought shelter behind it.
Dust devils also pose risks to inflatable structures. In 2010, three children in a bounce house were lifted more than 10 feet by a dust devil, which carried the bounce house over a fence and landed it in a backyard three houses away in El Paso. Similarly, in 2019, a large dust devil in China lifted an inflatable bounce house into the air,killing two childrenand injuring 18 children and two adults.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Watch: Massive dust devil spins up along El Paso highway
