A dust devil blows through a parking lot under construction Aug. 6 in front of the future Kroger at 26 Mile and Van Dyke in Shelby Township.(Video by Larry Sobczak)</font color>
BY LARRY SOBCZAK
EDITOR
A dust devil briefly appeared near the intersection 26 Mile Road and Van Dyke in the late afternoon on Aug. 6.
The whirling column of dust and debris formed on the driveway of the Walgreen’s drugstore before moving southeast to the parking lot under construction in front of a future Kroger store.
At its peak, the vortex rose more than 100 feet high and had winds estimated at 35 to 40 miles per hour.
“They’re actually not that rare around here in Michigan when it’s hot,” said Gregg Mann, a meteorologist at the Detroit/Pontiac National Weather Service office.
He said that dust devils typically form when an area such as a parking lot, exposed field or a hay field heats up quicker than the surrounding area.
The warm air begins to rise rapidly and the cooler from adjacent areas rushes inwards.
The Coriolis Effect, which is caused by the Earth’s rotation, causes the rapidly rising air to swirl.
“It’s like a reverse bath tub drain. Instead, it’s going upward,” he said.
The dust devil at 26 Mile Road and Van Dyke formed on a hot day with relatively calm winds and only fair weather cumulous clouds in the sky.
Mann said the weather conditions combined with the hot exposed dirt of the construction site and nearby asphalt parking lot were ideal conditions for dust devils and this was perhaps not the first or last one that day.
Shelby Township resident Tom Cook was exiting M-53 onto 26 Mile Road when the dust devil formed and he could see it from nearly one half mile away as a tall column of swirling dust rose into the sky.
“I didn’t know what it was. I thought at first maybe a car had caught on fire in the Home Depot parking lot,” he said.
Dust devils are not considered life threatening with winds only strong enough to blow lawn chairs or light debris around.
“You might get sandblasted in the face if you get caught in one,” Mann said.
The Aug. 6 dust devil last only one minute and dissipated as quickly as it formed.
Mann said that many weather forecasting models that the National Weather Service uses indicate that we will receive some relief from hot and drought conditions that allow dust devils to form.
He said they are expecting a noticeable shot of cooler and less humid air from Canada later this week.
“It’s just a matter of timing at this point,” he said.
