Weather Insider: Dust Devils

Dust devils are a fairly common phenomenon all over the world, but are especially common in desert areas in the warmer months. As air at the surface heats up during the day, some of the air can rise, forming a small area of low pressure. This will cause nearby air to move in to fill the void left by the rising air. Since we are dealing with low pressure, the air will spin counterclockwise. The more the air rises, the faster the dust devil will spin (just like an ice skater pulling in their arms to spin faster).

Despite their similar appearance, dust devils and tornadoes are NOT the same thing. Tornadoes are formed by severe thunderstorms and extend from the cloud to the ground. Dust devils usually occur in fair weather and rise up from the surface.