At first, witnesses thought a tornado was approaching the city: a tall column of dust was spinning over one of the Košice districts. But it turned out to be much more harmless — it was a dust whirl, called prachový vír (dust whirl) or rarach in Slovak terminology.
A video of the unusual column, filmed near the city airport, was shared by the public association Severe Weather Slovakia o.z., and local media picked up the story. The footage sparked lively discussion on social media — and indeed, it looks impressive.
How a dust whirl differs from a tornado
The main difference is how these phenomena form. A tornado descends from a thundercloud and is associated with bad weather. A dust whirl forms under clear skies and moves the opposite way, from the ground upward. On a hot day, the surface heats up strongly, hot air rises rapidly, spins, and lifts dust, sand, or dry leaves. This creates the same “column” that from afar can easily be mistaken for a tornado.
Should you worry?
In most cases — no. Such whirls quickly dissipate and do not cause damage. The only detail: the stronger ones can lift light unsecured objects into the air, so if you see such a column nearby — do not keep anything that can fly away close to you.
For Slovakia, this is not rare at all: similar whirls are regularly noticed in various parts of the country, especially in summer over dry open areas and fields after harvest. One resident, for example, said she saw the same whirl in the west of the country, near Púchov.
So, if this summer a dust column suddenly spins over a field or near a city — there is no need to panic. Look at the sky: if it is clear and sunny, you are not facing a tornado, but a normal summer play of air.
