Dust Devil

A small, vigorous whirlwind made visible by dust and debris/Weather & Climate

A dust devil is a strong, well-formed whirlwind that forms on clear, hot days when the sun heats the ground unevenly. Unlike tornadoes, dust devils form from the ground up rather than descending from clouds. A typical dust devil is about 50 meters in diameter and 300 meters tall, with wind speeds around 25 meters per second (90 km/h). They last only a few minutes and are generally harmless, though large ones can occasionally flip over portable structures. Mars has dust devils too, some of which are 10 kilometers tall, making Earth's versions look adorably small.