Dust Devil invades Monroe
MONROE — Though not anywhere as severe as what’s seen in the Midwest, a version of a “dust devil” was observed April 28 at North Main Elementary School field.
Monroe resident Kathy Lange sent this photo taken by her husband to The Photo News, noting it was taken during her daughter’s soccer U10 Seattle Sounders/FC Dallas game that day.
Dust devils form as a swirling updraft under sunny conditions during fair weather, rarely coming close to the intensity of a tornado.
“In the middle of the game the wind started to swirl and picked up dirt creating a funnel of dust from the dirt on the field,” she wrote. “Due to the fact that the field has dirt down the middle from one end of the field to the other, the funnel traveled from one end the field (goal) to the other end (opposite goal).”
Lange added: “The kids started screaming and running off the field. Some were literally spitting out dust afterward. Play was stopped ‘until the dust settled.’”
Lange said the players and their families got “a kick” out of seeing the funnel-like cloud of dust.
“The fact that the wind picked up that much dirt (notice the height) and was able to travel from one end of the field to the other, is another example of what poor condition our school fields are in,” she wrote.
- Nancy Kriz