The Gulf Coast is feeling a little more like the desert lately, and now, the dust is starting to show it.
Jay Stark said he spotted dirt swirling into the sky while driving past a construction zone at RSW Airport on Sunday.
"It was kind of concerning. It's like, where is this going? What is it doing?" Stark said.
Gulf Coast meteorologists say what he saw was a dust devil, a spinning column of dirt, not a tornado, but impressive enough to stop him in his tracks.
"It looked like a miniature tornado, and it was just dancing around in the dirt," he said.
And Stark isn't alone. Over the weekend, Gulf Coast News viewers have sent in video after video showing dust devils popping up around the region near downtown Fort Myers, along McGregor Boulevard in Lee County, and at a home in northwest Cape Coral, near Burnt Store Road.
So, why are we seeing so many?
Meteorologists say it comes down to three key ingredients: sunshine, dry weather and rotation.
And lately, Southwest Florida has had no shortage of any of them.
"This would be the time of year where if we're going to see them," Gulf Coast meteorologist Lauren Hope said.
Even though dust devils aren’t common here, Gulf Coast meteorologist Raphael Tavernier says they can happen, especially when the dry season stretches longer than normal.
Hope said dust devils form when the ground heats up quickly under strong sun, causing warm air to rise fast and spin.
"You have to actually see really strong heating at the surface," Hope said. "That air can get so hot, it’s even hotter than the air above it. It creates instability so that less dense, warmer air rises, starting to create some mixing."
When Stark got home and saw the videos of dust devils popping up around Lee County, it confirmed what he thought:
"I'm like, well, that was a dust devil, or whatever you call it," he said with a laugh.
While most dust devils are harmless, meteorologists warn they can pack a punch, spinning up to 60 miles per hour and tossing loose debris.
"It’s awesome to look at," Tavernier said. "But you want to stay a safe distance away, and never try to intercept a dust devil."
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