Sunday, 16th August 2009
Dust Devils
by Bob Butterfield
I was driving across the dry hot eastern Washington in early June and saw in a distance this, what I assume, is a very large set of dust devils. I tried to find a place where the phone poles were not in the way, but now I see they are useful for scale. It lasted only a few minutes so I was lucky to find a place to pull over and get a few quick shots.
Equipment: Nikon D300, 24-70mm, f2.8
Bob Butterfield
Bob Butterfield is a natural resource photographer who lives in northwest Washington.
Website: Website
Dust Devils by Bob Butterfield was photo of the day on Sunday, 16th August 2009. It is tagged Storms, Weather. You can leave a comment below.
26 Comments
Alice DeFriez
wow! I love capturing weather shots! Nice!
ira
wow! amazing shot.
Pauline Jones
Very cool, the only dust devils I have ever seen were no more than three feet high.
SPAIN
very nice!!!
Su
Great capture.
Katherine Lee Strassburg
I’ve gigantic dust devils out west, but I have never seen them emanating from clouds. Are you sure these weren’t small tornadoes? You might want to check the National Weather Service archives. Either way, it’s a fascinating photo. Weather is one of the few natural forces we can actually see, yet not control. Very nice potd.
Rajib Singha
A very unusual shot well captured Bob.
planet lover
How very interesting… That cloud looks menacing!
Bob Butterfield
I think that they are more correctly called landspouts, the land equivalent to waterspouts.
Ellen Empson
I especially like the way the one on the right is slanted; how it gives you the “mind’s eye” movement that you see so often with these on film. Great catch!!!!!!
Lisa Atkins
Nice shot. I agree with Katherine. They look more like tornadoes. I live in the Southwestern United States where dust devils are common. I, too have never seen them emanating from clouds. And, that cloud looks like a tornado producer.
Kirk Jordan
For something so uncontrollable, you couldn’t have asked for a better fit with the phone poles. And you are so right, If you remove the poles, all scale disappears.
Marie Dunphy Harding
Great shot of our unpredictable Earth.
Leslie Parsley
I’ve driven through Kansas – as fast as possible -and seen banks of clouds just like this but tornados don’t have those hollow looking spouts. They’re thicker, more “twisty” and often more slanted rather than being so straight. A fantastic shot.
Mandy Kilpatrick
What a great phenomenon of nature captured so exquisitely!! I am in Montana and have never seen anything like this. Thanks for posting and
sharing!!
Laurie
Astounding! Whatever they are, I wouldn’t want to be caught in one of them!
Anurag
In the right place at the right time!!
Renee
Wow that looks very SCARY! but excellent shot!
mike
Very cool. Never seen those here in New York.
Bob Butterfield
I have been advised that these are not dust devils but more correctly called landspouts. Landspouts are the land equivalent of waterspouts.
Bob Butterfield
I learned that dust devil is not the correct description. They should be called landspouts. Landspouts are the land equivalent of waterspouts.
sue gagnon
Dust Devils my-oh-my, Toto, we’re far from home, but this is simply one Scary-Kewl shot!
Md. Ziaul Hoque
This is insane. Something for life to experience! Bravo!
Deborah Flowers
Very Sci Fi! Great timing and capture!
Su
Crazy world we leave in huh?
Renee
Still makes me say WOW!!