Got to experience a dust devil up close and personal today

Southside · May 02, 2024, 10:58:26 PM

We have a field that has more than its share of dust devils that pop up in it, today was the second one I have seen this year as I filmed the last one a month or so ago. Anyway this one was about 2' wide at ground contact level and eh 20' or so tall. It was strong enough to make wood chips dance but not completely leave the ground and was 30' from me when I spotted it so I decided to chase it down and ran into it - felt just like one of those storm chasers. What was really interesting was that from 10' away the thing was absolutely silent, but once I stepped inside of it - man was it loud and quite windy. Knocked my hat around but the most surprising thing was once I was inside of it I could no longer see it. I could feel it and hear it, but there was nothing to see - was a pretty amazing experience for those few seconds.

doc henderson · May 02, 2024, 11:54:36 PM

Remember, there is no place like home! and I am from Kansas! got your ruby steel toed slippers Jim?

Ianab · May 03, 2024, 01:40:47 AM

We would get those developing over hay paddocks as the sun heated up the ground and created that spinning updraught. It might be quite common, but you could really see it over dry hay, One day when I was still a teen, we were doing hay, and Fred, Dads friend and neighbour, was using his hay rake to row up for baling, and a couple of us kids were watching, waiting to help pick up bales. Anyway Fred is heading up the paddock, and looking down to his left to watch the rake and his line. This big swirling whirlwind builds up across the paddock, and came in on his blind side. We could see this big mass of swirling hay intercepting his tractor, and basically burying him for a few seconds. He came out the other side, but was picking hay out of his hair / teeth / ears for while.

WV Sawmiller · May 03, 2024, 01:48:41 AM

I well remember them from my work in Saudi Arabia. Let's just say the local culture had not picked up on the Make Arabia Beautiful concept and we used to refer to the plastic bag as the National Bird over there. We'd have a Shammal or severe dust storm and they'd blow so many plastic bags against a chain link fence that they'd blow the fence over.

You could see plastic bags and other trash swirling hundreds of feet in the air when we would get a strong dust devil.

I remember running a camp near Mosul Iraq when we had a Shammal come through that looked like the scene from the movie The Mummy.

BTW - did you know Mosul used to be Nineveh as of Jonah fame.

doc henderson · May 03, 2024, 03:28:54 AM

Well Jim I hope you were not wearing a short skirt as the site of your bloomers might cause your chickens to go on a laying strike!

SwampDonkey · May 03, 2024, 06:00:17 AM

Get them a lot here in summer, but you'd have to be quick and no predicting which direction it will turn to. Never seen one go in a straight line for long.