A dust devil in Pole Mokotowskie. The recording was published online
On Monday, April 27, an unusual event took place at Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw. In the place where there is a reservoir in the summer, the so-called dust devil.
The water level in the Vistula River in Warsaw is very low. It reaches 60 centimeters on the boulevards. The forecasts for the coming weeks are not optimistic – the water level will be even lower because no rainfall is expected. It is expected to reach 50 cm in the coming days. – Current data indicate a worse hydrological situation than in previous years. It is worth noting that in March and April water levels on rivers in Poland should increase due to the rivers being fed with meltwater. The current situation is therefore very unfavorable in the perspective of the next months, said Grzegorz Walijewski, spokesman for IMWM.
The effects of drought can also be seen in parks. An unusual phenomenon was observed on Monday, April 27, at Pole Mokotowskie. In the central part of the park, where there is a water reservoir in the summer, an air vortex was formed that looked like a small whirlwind. The vortex was about 10 meters high and 3 meters in diameter.
As Grzegorz Zwiślak, who runs the Polish Storm Chaser profile, explains in an interview with Noizz.pl, it was the so-called dust devil. This phenomenon has nothing to do with tornadoes. – Forms in strong sunlight. Then, a stronger vertical variation in air temperature is generated in the near-surface layer of the troposphere, which in turn leads to the development of convection. They most often form on warm and dry days, especially when there is a long lack of rainfall, he explained. Zwiślak added that the wind speed in the so-called devils speed does not exceed 80 km/h.
