Dust Devil Touches Down In Long Beach, Whisks Away Beach Gear

Over the weekend, a dust devil — a small, tornado-like column of wind — formed on the sand at Long Beach, causing a few moments of fear and chaos before vanishing back into the sky.

Dust devils resemble tornadoes, because both are well-formed columns of wind that are usually visible from the debris inside them. However, dust devils are pretty harmless, and only last for a few minutes.

The one in Long Beach formed on Sunday afternoon. The damage was minimal — some belongings were knocked over and scattered around, and one unlucky umbrella was whisked into the sky.

Josephine Lalli-Jungkunst was on the beach with her family and snapped the incredible photos above.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the dust devil only lasted a few brief minutes before disappearing back into the clear sky.

Photos: Josephine Lalli-Jungkunst