Arizona dust devil and storm chaser tangle near Route 66. See the viral video
A storm chaser filmed his experience as a large dust devil swept through along the historic Route 66 in western Arizona near Kingman.
Brian Verhoeven, a meteorologist focusing on wildfires and thunderstorms, captured footage of the "bucket list" wind phenomenon and posted it on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday afternoon. The video shows the large dust devil propelling debris and tumbleweed as it moves through Kingman.
Verhoeven told USA TODAY that he and his partner got a few scratches while filming the event but that it "wasn't too bad".
"In the absence of thunderstorms in our chase holiday in the US at the moment, this is a very cool alternative!" Verhoeven posted on X.
However, he advised people not to try putting themselves through the experience if they do not know the risks or how to handle them.
"As meteorologists, we knew what to expect and braced ourselves," Verhoeven told USA Today. "If you are not familiar enough with the phenomenon and its risks, I would say: don't do it."
What is a dust devil?
Dust devils are a common wind phenomenon that happen around the world and are more frequent in desert ecosystems, according to the National Weather Service.
These dust-filled vortices, typically under clear skies and light winds, are created by strong surface heating between two different surface types such as asphalt and dirt, or even irrigated fields and dirt roads.
Dust devils usually last for only a few minutes before dissipating, according to the weather service, though they can reach up to several thousand feet and last more than an hour in desert areas.
"Even though they are generally smaller than tornadoes, dust devils can still be destructive as they lift dust and other debris into the air," says the weather service. "Small structures can be damaged, and even destroyed, if in the path of a strong dust devil."
Two children were hospitalized in 2021 after a dust devil in Paulden, Arizona, picked up a bounce house they were in, launching it over 20 feet into the air.
USA TODAY trending news reporter Saman Shafiq contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona dust devil and storm chaser tangle near Route 66: Watch
