‘Never seen that before’: Sand twister hits Clyde worksite

Motorists have been left stunned after a sand twister whirled sand and debris about 16 metres up the air at a construction site southeast of Melbourne.

Motorists have been left stunned after a sand twister whirled sand and debris about 16m up the air at a construction site southeast of Melbourne.

A Reddit user captured footage of the whirl Clyde 50km from Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday.

Called ‘willy willies’ or ‘whirly whirlies’ in Australia and ‘dust devils’ in the US, the mini twisters are said to be mostly harmless — but as Reddit users were quick to point out, the twisters can be “violent” with the potential to damage structures and rattle cars.

“Dust devils typically do not cause injuries, but small structures can be damaged, and you should always show caution and avoid if possible,” a Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson.

A sand twister whips sand and debris up in the air at a Clyde construction site. Picture: Reddit, u/Drill808

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson explained willy willies typically form on hot and dry days.

“They are formed when the sun heats the ground intensely, causing the air just above the surface to become much warmer than the air above it,” the spokesperson said.

“The hot air rises rapidly creating an updraft. If there is a change in wind direction or speed near the surface, this can create a phenomenon known as horizontal wind shear.

“This generates small rotational movements or eddies in the air close to the ground. As the small vortex strengthens, it picks up dust, sand, and small debris, making the spinning column visible into your willy willy seen in Clyde.

“Yesterday we had a hot and windy day ahead of a cool change which gave favourable conditions for this type of phenomena.”

Reddit users joked that the dust “tornado” looked more like “nature’s wacky waving arm flailing inflatable tube man”.

“Poor guy on the work site. We’re going to need another delivery. Where’d the last lot go? You’re not going to believe this,” one Reddit user said.

Other dust devils were reportedly spotted in Shepparton and Ararat this week.

Originally published as ‘Never seen that before’: Sand twister hits Clyde worksite