dust devil
Small dirt vortex
A dust devil is a small, spinning column of air that picks up dust and debris from dry ground, forming a visible vortex.
Unlike tornadoes, dust devils form from the ground up on hot, calm days when heated air rises rapidly and begins to rotate.
They're typically harmless and short-lived: A dust devil crossed the baseball diamond during practice.
Violently rotating air column
- twisterRotating destructive windstorm
- vortexRotating fluid column
- funnelCone directing flow
- swirlRotating, curving movement
rotation · eddy · updraft · landspout · spinning · column · cone · debris
Fine rock particles
- aridDevoid of water
- dunesWind-formed sand ridges
- barrenUnable to produce
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
tumbleweed · sunbaked · parched · dry · outback · plains · savanna · dirt road
Heat transfer through movement
- thermalsWarm air columns
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
- unstable airAtmosphere prone to vertical motion
low pressure · wind shear · fair weather · rotation · anemometer · weather · microburst · hot air
Passing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- briefShort in duration
- short-livedLasting only briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
passing · vanishing · quick · temporary · dissipating · fading · seconds · minutes
Spirit in Arab folklore
- spiritSoul, mood, or liquor
- ghostApparition of the dead
- omenProphetic indicator
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
trickster · willy-willy · evil spirit · ancestor · bad luck · superstition · legend · myth
whirlwind
Violently rotating air column
swirl · rotation · eddy · updraft · landspout · spinning · column · cone · debris · lifting
sand
Fine rock particles
scorching · tumbleweed · sunbaked · parched · dry · outback · plains · savanna · dirt road · open terrain
convective
Heat transfer through movement
- thermalsWarm air columns
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
unstable air · low pressure · wind shear · fair weather · rotation · anemometer · weather · microburst · hot air
fleeting
Passing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- briefShort in duration
- short-livedLasting only briefly
transient · passing · vanishing · quick · temporary · dissipating · fading · seconds · minutes · unpredictable
djinn
Spirit in Arab folklore
supernatural · trickster · willy-willy · evil spirit · ancestor · bad luck · superstition · legend · myth · warning
- Whirlwindstornado, twister, cyclone, waterspout, landspout
- phenomenanorthern lights, eclipse, earthquake, solar eclipse, volcanic eruption
- weather phenomenatornado, wind, hurricane, gust, blizzard
- desert experiencessandstorm, heat wave, mirage, camel ride, sand boarding
- desert featuresmirage, sandstorm, sand dunes, oasis, haboob
- Southwest Desertsaguaro, saguaro cactus, Sonoran Desert, Sonoran, prickly pear
dust deviltornado
Violent rotating windstorm
twister · cyclone · waterspout · hurricane · typhoon
dust devilthunderstorm
Violent weather with lightning
severe thunderstorm · blizzard · monsoon · tempest · squall
dust, devil, dusty, dusting, duster, dusted, devilish, devils, devilry