|Dust Devils Cause Damage in Las Vegas| May 9, 2012 By
WeatherBug Sr. Meteorologist, James West |The roulette wheel
wasn`t the only thing spinning in Vegas earlier this week. Rare
damage was caused by a trifecta of dust devils. | The dust
devils formed over eastern Las Vegas Monday afternoon, causing
damage to homes and businesses. No injuries were reported.
What`s a dust devil? It`s a narrow rotating column of air in
clear weather created when a heated patch of ground warms the
air above it. The warm air rises and under certain conditions, a
narrow vortex forms with winds that normally reach up to 40 mph.
These vortices tend to form in flat, barren, desert terrain away
from development. They look like skinnier, dusty tornadoes and
generally don`t cause damage or injury, but these dust devils
were unusual. The dust devils formed in urban Las Vegas and had
winds estimated to be up to 60 mph. One dust devil hit a La
Costa Grill restaurant which resulted in a large ceramic
fountain being toppled, tiles blown off