Florida Drought Kicking In Dust Devil Season Early

Dust devils put on a cool show yesterday afternoon while driving along SR 80 in western Palm Beach County, FL. This region of the county in known as the gateway to the Glades, and this time of year during the peak of the dry season you'll commonly see them on warm afternoons staining tall over the flat terrain. 

The sugarcane fields are cleared after harvesting each fall into mid winter, and this leaves the dark rich soil exposed to the warm sun. If the winds are light and the temps warm up into the 80's or more, you have a good chance of encountering many of these dust devils dancing over the dry fields.  I find the best time of year is March through May, but with the drought conditions already in place across southern Florida, and the above normal temperatures this winter season, it looks like they're getting an early start. I hope to bring more pictures and video in the near future with a closer look at these amazing vortexes as I did with an older blog several years ago.