
Dust devils typically do not cause injuries, but rare, severe dust devils have caused damage and even deaths in the past. One such dust devil struck the Coconino County Fairgrounds in Flagstaff, Arizona on September 14, 2000. Extensive damage occurred to several temporary tents, stands and booths, as well as some permanent fairgrounds structures. In addition, several injuries were reported, but there were no fatalities. Based on the degree of damage left behind, it is estimated that the dust devil produced winds as high as 75 mph (120 km/h), which is equivalent to an EF0 tornado. The EF or Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause. On May 19, 2003, a dust devil lifted the roof off a two-story building in Lebanon, Maine causing it to collapse and kill a man inside. On June 18, 2008, a dust devil collapsed a shed near Casper, Wyoming killing a woman, and in 2010 three children in an inflatable jump house were picked up by a dust devil and were carried over 3 houses and a 10 foot fence, in east El Paso, TX. A dust devil is a strong, well-formed, and relatively long-lived whirlwind, ranging from small (half a meter wide and a few meters tall) to large (more than 10 meters wide and more than 1000 meters tall). The primary vertical motion is upward. Dust devils are usually harmless, but rare ones can grow large enough to threaten both people and property. They are comparable to tornadoes in that both are a weather <b>...</b>
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