Dust devils are not uncommon and for the most part are harmless. A new video from Estes Park shows that's not always the case.

A visitor to Estes Park, Colorado took this short but intense video.

Here's how they described what they saw and what happened afterward:

My Daughter and I were on vacation in Estes Park Colorado leaving the Rocky Mountain National Forest and we came upon this Dust Devil and started recording. It started in front of us, horse shooed around us and caused an accident behind us.

If you watch the video closely as the dust devil crosses the road, you'll see the car's suspension actually get lifted off the road.

ViralHog via YouTube
ViralHog via YouTube
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While they rarely do much damage, dust devils are capable of causing problems. Wikipedia documents that dust devils can get up to 60 mph and last around 20 minutes in some cases. The fact that this one caused an accident after the video ends is not surprising.

My wife (the meteorologist) thinks they should be called "street twisters", but so far NOAA and the NWS haven't changed the name. If they do, I'll be the first to hear about it.

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