MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Friday, September 12th, the Mt. Juliet League Inc. Facebook page posted a video of a large dust devil at a local baseball field.

According to Robin Speight, the park administrator for Mt. Juliet League Inc., the video was taken by Two Rivers Ford Parks' groundkeeper, Chuck Hagar.

In the video, you can see what looks like a small tornado that is picking up dust and dirt and lifting it high into the cloudless blue sky! It might look like a tornado, but it was a dust devil.

What is a dust devil? How does it form? And can they be dangerous?

Like a tornado, a dust devil is a rotating column of air. Unlike a tornado, they typically aren't destructive or deadly, but they can have winds over 60 mph, which is strong enough to cause minor damage.

They also differ from tornadoes in how they form. A dust devil typically forms during nice and sunny days, and tornadoes form out of strong thunderstorms.

Dust devils are caused by strong surface heating. This is why it needs to be sunny. The ground heats up fast, causing the air above it to also heat up. Warm air is less dense, causing it to rise rapidly. The rising air causes an area of low pressure at the surface that is quickly filled in by surrounding air. Once it starts spinning, the dust devil is born.

Dust devils are pretty common, but unless there is dust, leaves, or small debris for them to pick up, they are invisible. This is why you commonly see them at baseball fields, where there are plenty of fine dust particles.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/large-dust-devil-spotted-in-middle-tn-video/