Dust devil whirls through Prince George, B.C., parking lot

A largedust devilwas caught on videotearing through a mall parking lot in Prince George, B.C., on Saturday afternoon as conditions in the region are primed for the whirlwinds.

The long, narrow plume of dust can be seen spinning among cars through the parking lot of Pine Centre Mall in a video taken by Anakin Gibson, a resident of the north-centralB.C. city.

Gibson said he was driving by the parking lot when he saw dust and rocks being flung around.

"Out of nowhere the wind kind of picked up and it started swirling, and it just kept growing and growing," said Gibson."It was quite interesting to see."

He estimates it reached at least 40 feet(12.19 metres) up in the air, but said it dispersed after it went under a vehicle.

But that wasn't the only one multiple dust devils have been forming and spinning through the same parking lot over the past several days.

WATCH | What is a dust devil?

What is a dust devil?

5 months ago

Duration 0:18

This video explainer shows the life of a dust devil, a normally small whirlwind that whips up dirt and leaves. Dust devils are common in dry areas, and usually only occur in fair weather.

Dust devils are columns of spinning air, according to CBCclimate and science specialist Darius Mahdavi.

They occur when a patch of air close to the ground is much warmer than the air above it, causing it to rise rapidly.When conditions are just right, the column will start spinning, forming a dust devil.

Mahdavi says they almost always form on calm, sunny days, and on flat surfaces that absorb heat well like the mall pavement seen in Gibson's video.

Conditions in Prince George have been warm, with multiple days of sunshine and unseasonable highs into the teens.

WATCH | Another dust devil forms in the same parking lot:

Dust devil in Prince George, B.C. parking lot

5 months ago

Duration 0:33

A dust devil in the parking lot of Pine Centre Mall on March 26, 2024. Warm, sunny weather and calm conditions have led to several of the whirlwinds to form in the lot over the course of several days.

Environment Canada posted dust advisories for a large section of central and northern British Columbia on Tuesday, including Prince George, in response to "high concentrations of coarse particulate matter" that it says is most prominent near busy roads.

All advisories are expected to remain until the region gets precipitation, according to the forecaster. In addition to Prince George, the advisoriescover the communities ofSmithers,Vanderhoof, Burns Lakeand Houston.

The weather office is advising people to limit their exposure to high traffic and industrial areas, saying poor air quality is hardest on people with respiratory conditions, pregnant women, seniors and infants.