Dust Devils Dancing in the Desert

I caught these twin dust devils dancing in front of the Estrella Mountains on the Gila River Indian Reservation just south of Phoenix, Arizona. On... more

by Judy Kennedy

Title

Dust Devils Dancing in the Desert

Artist

Judy Kennedy

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

I caught these twin dust devils dancing in front of the Estrella Mountains on the Gila River Indian Reservation just south of Phoenix, Arizona. On really hot days, multiple dust devils are a typical sight on the dusty plains of the Sonoran Desert.In fact, they only form in those conditions. A pocket of hot air near the surface rises quickly through cooler air above it, causing an updraft. Then if the conditions are just right like if it’s hot enough, the updraft begins to rotate and forms a dust tornado! These precocious wind spirits move around a lot and quickly dissipate as fast as they formed. But I’ve watched some go on for along time. Some get so big, that they can shake a house! Very fun nature phenomenon to watch! While these were a bit difficult to see against the blue sky background, these dancing dervishes were merging and intertwining at the top. They went on to combine into a larger single entity which eventually phased out of sight.

Uploaded

August 29th, 2018