A frightening experience unfolded for a paragliding instructor in Southern California when a dust devil swept through a desert landing zone just after she landed safely.
On September 4, Jessica Laird recorded a video showing the dust whirlwind violently throwing sand and debris near Perris, where paragliders typically land after training jumps.
As she descended, Laird and other jumpers felt the air becoming unusually “turbulent.” This change was quite noticeable as they approached the ground.
Just moments after she unhooked her gear, she glanced up to see the massive dust column racing across the desert. “I felt thankful that I was on the ground,” Laird mentioned, expressing relief. Dust devils in landing zones can be incredibly dangerous, and she knows of friends who have faced severe injuries or even fatalities due to their parachutes collapsing in such conditions.
The National Weather Service has stated that these spinning dust columns—while they may not look particularly threatening—are a fairly standard weather phenomenon. They form when the ground heats up intensely, creating localized updrafts.
Generally, these dust devils are smaller and weaker than tornadoes, ranging from 10 to 300 feet in diameter and reaching heights between 500 and 1,000 feet. Their wind speeds can peak around 60 miles per hour, and while they don’t last long, they can easily interfere with paragliding and skydiving landings.
Such unexpected dust devils can quickly disrupt air pressure, potentially collapsing a canopy and causing gliders to fall to the hard terrain below.
