Dust Devil
A small rotating column of dust from surface heating that caused damage or injury. Every one the National Weather Service has filed, by year and by state, with the deadliest and costliest.
The deadliest and costliest on the map
The deadliest and costliest dust devil episodes on record.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 259
- Deaths
- 6
- Injuries
- 92
- Damage
- $2.0 million
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Every year
Deaths each year
The deadliest
Deaths from this kind of event within each episode.
- Dust Devil in California, August 4, 2024There were 2 skydivers in Lake Elsinore, one instructor and one recreationalist. While descending it was reported that a large dust devil extending over 100 feet above ground cause their parachute to twist and loose control. They accelerated to the ground.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wyoming, June 18, 2008Thunderstorms firing over the higher terrain of central Wyoming strengthened as they moved into a more unstable and moist environment in Johnson and Natrona counties.
- Dust Devil in Nevada, June 1, 1996A sky diver inadvertently crossed paths with a dust devil which aused his parachute to collapse about 30 feet above the ground. The man died from injuries sustained in the resulting fall.
- Dust Devil in Maine, May 19, 2003Wind from a large dust devil in the town of Lebanon reportedly lifted the roof of a two-story body shop causing it to collapse. A 51-year-old man was inside the shop at the time and was killed in the incident.
- Dust Devil in New York, July 30, 2014A possible Dust Devil was reportedly responsible for one fatality of a Sky Diver in Calverton. The instructor was injured as well.
The costliest
Damage from this kind of event within each episode, in the dollars of its year.
- Dust Devil in Nevada, July 4, 2018
- Dust Devils and Strong Wind in Nevada, May 7, 2012
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Arizona, February 21 to 23, 2022
- Dust Devil in Nevada, June 2, 2009
- Heat and Drought in Arkansas, July 1 to 31, 2012
- Dust Devil in Nevada, July 29, 2009
- Dust Devil in Nevada, May 11, 2009
- Dust Devil in Nevada, May 23, 2010
- Dust Devil in California, May 16, 2012
- Dust Devil in New Mexico, September 1, 2019
- Dust Devil in Arizona, June 18, 2022
- Dust Devil in Montana, July 2, 2003
- Dust Devil in New Mexico, May 22, 2013
- Dust Devil in Florida, April 8, 2017
- Dust Devil in Texas, May 13, 2003
- Dust Devil in Arizona, July 6, 2011
- Dust Devil in Arizona, April 6, 2015
- Dust Devil in Texas, April 3, 2008
- Dust Devil in New Mexico, April 28, 2003
- Dust Devil in South Dakota, April 14, 2005
- Dust Devil in Alabama, July 24, 2006
- Dust Devil in Hawaii, May 31, 2012
- Dust Devil in Arizona, June 6, 2014
- Dust Devil in Nevada, June 9, 2016
- Dust Devil in Nevada, May 19, 2020
By state
| State or waters | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 34 | 1 | 11 | $961,000 |
| Arizona | 33 | 0 | 9 | $297,000 |
| New Mexico | 19 | 0 | 25 | $155,000 |
| California | 18 | 2 | 17 | $84,000 |
| Colorado | 16 | 0 | 0 | $59,000 |
| Florida | 13 | 0 | 0 | $55,000 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Texas | 9 | 0 | 0 | $48,000 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 |
| Washington | 8 | 0 | 5 | $6,000 |
| Hawaii | 7 | 0 | 1 | $20,000 |
| Montana | 7 | 0 | 3 | $46,000 |
| Oregon | 6 | 0 | 0 | $15,000 |
| Virginia | 6 | 0 | 6 | $14,000 |
| Alabama | 6 | 0 | 0 | $27,000 |
| New York | 5 | 1 | 3 | $200 |
| Alaska | 5 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| Maryland | 3 | 0 | 1 | $6,000 |
| Maine | 3 | 1 | 0 | $10,000 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 0 | 0 | $26,000 |
| Missouri | 3 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Indiana | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| Arkansas | 3 | 0 | 0 | $87,000 |
| Idaho | 3 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 0 | 2 | $1,000 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 0 | $19,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 0 | $30 |
| Iowa | 2 | 0 | 5 | $10,000 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| Ohio | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 1 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 0 | 0 | $12,000 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Utah | 1 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Guam | 1 | 0 | 0 | $200 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every kind of event
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Hail
- Flash Flood
- High Wind
- Winter Storm
- Drought
- Winter Weather
- Tornado
- Heavy Snow
- Flood
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Heat
- Heavy Rain
- Strong Wind
- Excessive Heat
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Lightning
- Dense Fog
- Blizzard
- Frost/Freeze
- Ice Storm
- High Surf
- Funnel Cloud
- Wildfire
- Tropical Storm
- Waterspout
- Coastal Flood
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Debris Flow
- Hurricane (Typhoon)
- Dust Storm
- Rip Current
- Storm Surge/Tide
- Marine High Wind
- Sleet
- Avalanche
- Marine Hail
- Astronomical Low Tide
- Marine Tropical Storm
- Tropical Depression
- Freezing Fog
- Lakeshore Flood
- Dust Devil
- Marine Strong Wind
- Dense Smoke
- Marine Hurricane/Typhoon
- Volcanic Ashfall
- Seiche
- Sneakerwave
- Volcanic Ash
- Tsunami
- Marine Tropical Depression
- Marine Dense Fog
- Northern Lights
- Marine Lightning
- Hurricane
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.