“Dustnados” hit SunBird

Fred Garmeson

In the middle of April, two dustnados hit SunBird. One tore off part of a roof in 1A, and another tore off a roof vent and threw the weighted Lions Bingo sign high into the trees in unit 3. No one noticed anything until just before they hit.

A dustnado is a cross between a dust devil and a tornado. Like dust devils, they can appear when the sky is perfectly clear, and if they don’t pick up dirt, you can’t see them. Similar to a tornado, you can hear them. They sound like a semi coming down the road. They hit fast and hard and may only hit one side of the street. They have been known to blow birds right out of the trees.

If you hear a semi coming down the road and part of your roof or your patio furniture disappears, you have been hit by a dustnado.