Are Dust Devils Common Only In Texas?

Are these just a Texas thing? I've always wondered? On my daily commute, I often see what my mom would call dirt devil's but technically I think that is a vacuum. lol Sounded good to me! I called them that for years. According to Google, they are actually called 'dust devils' and back to the original question, are they only seen and experienced here in Texas?

Again, according to Google, the answer is no. The definition of a dust devil, is

a common wind phenomenon that occurs throughout much of the world.

Oh, it's a phe-nom-e-non. They look like little dirt tornados if you ask me and I don't really know why but my mother always warned me about them?

She would say if you see one in the middle of the road, whatever you do, do not drive through it! So I think that when I was little, I really thought they could do as much damage as a tornado for that reason. If momma said it, it must be true right? Well I am here to say that survived the dust devil of 2021 because I inadvertently drove through one last year and lived to tell it.

According to Wikipedia,

Dust devils are usually harmless, but can on rare occasions grow large enough to pose a threat to both people and property.

Maybe my mom was on to something, don't be too trusting of these vertical little devils that we typically only see during warm weather. What are your thoughts on dust devils? Do you have a problem driving through them?

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