Once attributed to spirits, genies, or ghosts, dust devils
are strong and long-lived whirlwinds that range from
a few meters to more than 1,000 meters tall. They form
around a ver tic al rotating column of air under fair
conditions. The sun heats the ground, which can produce
s w i r l i n g u p d r a f t s o f a i r c a l l e d t u r b u l e n c e . Th e s e
frequently develop in hot and dry deserts and are much
smaller and less destructive than tornadoes.