Rare 30m Dust Devil Halts Traffic Manchester City Centre

A rare weather phenomenon known as a dust devil, a 30-metre-high swirling column of dust, briefly swept through Manchester city centre, causing traffic to halt and startling local residents who initially feared it was a tornado. The dust devil was observed along Great Ancoats Street and appeared to engulf a tree, with witnesses describing the event as a mini-vortex created by a wind tunnel effect between buildings on an otherwise calm day. Violinist Adam Riding and website developer Peter David McHugh both captured the unusual event on video, with McHugh noting how darkness suddenly fell over his apartment during the occurrence. The Met Office confirmed the event was a dust devil rather than a tornado, explaining that dust devils form from temperature contrasts on surfaces causing upward spiraling air, unlike tornadoes which are associated with thunderstorms and heavy rain. This phenomenon, more common in hot, dry regions, is particularly rare in urban settings like Manchester and typically dissipates within minutes. The dust devil provided a brief but dramatic spectacle, highlighting the unique local conditions that can create such rare meteorological events in city environments.