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Meteorologist Justin Bruce explains dust devils after appearance at Luxor Hotel & Casino

Posted at 8:00 PM, Jul 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-11 23:00:30-04

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — People at the Luxor Hotel and Casino were enjoying a day at the pool until they were hit by a dust devil.

Holly Abundez recorded a video that captured the dust devil, and caused chairs to fly all around them.

KTNV's Justin Bruce explains how "dust devils" get started, and what you can do to stay safe.

"Even though they look like small tornadoes, dust devils form in a completely different fashion," Bruce starts. "You need a warm sunny day, the sun hits the ground, that warm air rises and you get an area of low pressure that forms at the surface."

Bruce continues, "Air flows into low pressure, and we actually get a bit of a circulation that starts to speed up until it's strong enough that it begins to pick up dust."

Or in the case of that video from Abundez, pool chairs.

"The wind can be 60 mph in a strong dust devil," he said. "And that can actually knock folks over, and cause injury."

Bruce advises people that if they see one, it's a great idea to head inside to a sturdy structure. Most of them last about a minute, but the strongest dust devils could last upwards of 20 minutes.