This dust devil was filmed crossing a busy highway in Utah.
The devil, which is similar to a mini tornado, was spotted by Twitter user Josh Reimann on the Bacchus Highway near Salt Lake City.
@NWSSaltLakeCity @mrschardewey this was on Bacchus Highway near 6200 S! Absolutely incredible. pic.twitter.com/lvpJUaBNkR
— Josh Reimann (@JoshReimann) September 22, 2018
A dust devil is caused when a patch of ground becomes very hot, causing the air above it to rise upwards. The air rushing to replace it at the surface can cause a cyclonic effect.
They are particularly common in dusty and desert areas, so are not an unusual site in Utah – although the size of this one stood out.
Although dust devils look spectacular, they typically aren’t dangerous, with much lower wind speeds than a tornado.
Just after it dissipated, it started right back up further west. pic.twitter.com/T4lvE22iqw
— Josh Reimann (@JoshReimann) September 22, 2018
According to Josh, wind speeds were around 30mph that day.
He said: “It was awesome to see in person. The size of the dust devil is what was so amazing.”
