Person who captured Luxor dust devil video describes chaotic moment
Las Vegas (KSNV) — Dust devils are common for this time of the year but we don’t expect them at casino pools. That’s what happened this weekend at the Luxor.
A video recorded by Ofelia Abundez captures what some on social media are calling a “mini-tornado” drawing in a dozen pool chairs and flinging them like paper.
She said she was walking to Bodies, The Exhibition at Luxor around 2 p.m. Friday when she noticed wind pick up.
“So it started really quickly,” Abundez said, “And what started seemed like it started by the pool area just and looked like a bunch of dust. It moved towards where the palm trees are and where the chairs were at.”
RELATED | Video captures wild dust devil at Luxor pool in Las Vegas
She says a couple people were thrown to the ground, but the injuries did not appear serious.
“I did not expect for all the chairs to start flipping around and two people sitting basically flipped over,” Abundez said, “And the chairs were on top of them and hitting them. It was just it was very scary.”
These whirlwinds typically form late mornings or early afternoons when the sun rapidly heats up the ground. Hot air above the ground rises quickly and winds rotate the column.
Fed by hot air, some are as large as 300 feet wide, 100 feet tall, reaching speeds above 60 miles per hour, lasting as long as an hour.
