Double trouble: Arizona dust devils combine along Route 66
The Desert Southwest has been heating up again, offering favorable conditions for dust devils like the ones seen in the video to form. Dust devils are created by strong surface heating and typically last only a few minutes.
Double dust devils churn up tumbleweeds along Route 66 in Arizona
Twin dust devils caught some storm chasers by surprise along Route 66 in Arizona on Saturday when they were caught up in the debris.
KINGMAN, Az. – Two dust devils whipping up dirt and tumbleweeds along Route 66 in Arizona on Saturday combined to become one massive vortex, according to video captured by storm chasers caught up in the dust devil.
Dust devils are created by strong surface heating and typically last only a few minutes. The vortices are usually smaller and less intense than a tornado but, on average, reach between 500 and 1,000 feet tall.
METEOROLOGIST FINDS HIMSELF INSIDE DUST DEVIL IN ARIZONA
Video taken north of Kingman, Arizona, along Route 66 showed two dust devils spinning along an agricultural field with a clear blue sky in the background. A group of storm chasers documenting the weather phenomenon were blasted by dust and debris as one of the two dust devils spun away.
Side-by-side images taken on April 13, 2024, show twin dust devils joining in Kingman, Arizona along Route 66. (Image: Brenttruy0707/X)
(Brenttruy0707/X)
Eventually, one of the dust devils caught up to the other and the two became one massive twister.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the Desert Southwest has been heating up again, offering favorable conditions for dust devils like the ones in the video to form.