A dust devil disrupted a youth football game on Saturday in Rancho Cucamonga, California sending spectators and the players running for cover.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – A swirling force of nature led to a timeout at a youth football game in California over the weekend when a dust devil created a scene on the sidelines.
Video captured by Shante Hall Flournoy in Rancho Cucamonga shows the winds picking up on Saturday and parents telling their children to cover their eyes as winds whipped up dirt and leaves.
“We watched it destroy three tents, and then I noticed how my friend’s hair was blowing. I looked up and saw the funnel, like a tornado,” Flournoy said.
Flournoy and others at the game were caught off guard by the dust devil as it spun up and dissipated quickly.
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“Oh my God!” she said, showing the vortex in the video.
Side-by-side photos of the dust devil seen near a youth football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
(Shante Hall Flournoy via Storyful)
The vortex in the video is a dust devil, but the weather phenomenon can sometimes be confused with a tornado. Tornadoes form in severe weather and thunderstorm conditions, unlike dust devils, which can pop up on a sunny day as seen in the video above.
Dust devils are created by strong surface heating and typically last only a few minutes. The vortices are usually smaller and less intense than a tornado but, on average, reach between 500 and 1,000 feet tall.