Rare 'dust devil' spotted in car park
A spiral of hot air, known as a "dust devil", has been spotted swirling round a car park in Lincolnshire.
The phenomenon, which is often mistaken for a tornado, was captured on video in the village of Holton le Moor, near Market Rasen, on Thursday.
The clip showed a cylinder of dust passing close to vans on a gravel surface before it suddenly disappeared.
Paul Hudson, a BBC climate and and environment correspondent, said it was a rare occurence in the UK caused by "really strong surface heating with still conditions".
He added: "Interestingly, in Australia it's called a Willy Willy. But it is just a spiral of hot air which rises very quickly."
Although they may look like tornadoes, they are not as destructive or powerful and also grow upwards from the ground, rather than down from the clouds.
According to the Met Office, the dust filled vortexes can vary in height from a few feet to more than 1,000ft (300m).
"They mainly occur in desert and semi-arid areas, where the ground is dry and high surface temperatures produce strong updrafts," it added.
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