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Leanne Walker said that what quickly came out of thin air and started as a curiosity-grabber turned slightly chaotic.
“People near it didn’t know how to react, with some running away and others running right into it, and some not reacting at all!” said Walker, who captured the dust devil on video. “What struck me most was how fast it was moving and how much debris it picked up.”
At one point, the spout picks up what appears to be a rectangular object, which Walker later discovered was a piece of sheet metal dancing in the dust devil’s swirling winds. Others mentioned seeing cars with minor damage. There were no reported injuries.
Stunned spectators can be heard asking, “Is that dangerous?”
The soccer players played on, and “the referees and players seemed almost completely unfazed,” Walker said.
“The video only captures part of it — the dust devil was actually on the ground for 1–2 minutes in total.“
“Dust devils are pretty common and most occur under calm and sunny conditions,” Globe meteorologist Ken Mahan said, adding that they form when “the high sun angle warms up one part of the ground faster than the surrounding area. Think of a large parking lot surrounded by grass, covered by trees.”
The resulting pockets of air rise rapidly, leaving a low-pressure area in the center, which “pulls in surrounding air that can spiral inward and create a vortex in the right environment,” according to Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. “They are quite common, especially in open, flat areas during the warmer months.”
Most dust devils, he said, usually end up around 50 feet wide or less, but some can double that,” he said, and are on average 500 to 1,000 feet tall. “The winds are exceptionally localized and, while mostly harmless, can get as strong as 70 or 80 mph at times, lasting for a few minutes to about 10 minutes.” But those more powerful winds are rare, especially in the Northeast, Mahan said.
Although most of the time dust devils are more spectacle than threat, Williams said people should still steer clear of one if they do see one nearby.
“Although smaller than tornadoes and forming in a completely different way, dust devils can still be destructive, sometimes lifting debris into the air, creating dangerous projectiles,“ he said.
Mahan said they look dramatic, but they “can’t be warned” because they’re too small to be detected by weather radar. Mahan likened them to the “cousin to the spinning leaf mini-tornadoes we see in the fall.”
“Oftentimes, these remain invisible, but when they pass over a source of dust or dirt, like a ballfield, they become visible,” Williams noted.
It’s safe to say no red card was issued to the dust devil as it tried to stop Sunday’s soccer game.
Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) – Police in Cumberland are investigating what officials are classifying at this time as a suspicious death.
Investigators have been on the scene at 46 E Barrow St. all day, with detectives in and out of the home.
The Rhode Island State Police sent their mobile crime lab to the scene. The entire house is taped off.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as we work to gather more information.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
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Watch: Chariho softball beats North Kingstown to reach title game
Watch as Chariho softball beats North Kingstown to reach state title game.
Super Saturday has arrived.
Today is the busiest day of the 2026 RIIL spring sports schedule, with championships being play at Rhode Island College and Brown University. Baseball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball and track and field athletes will all be chasing gold.
It’s a lot of keep track of, so here’s a handy schedule of the day’s events to keep your head from spinning.
No. 1 Hendricken vs. No. 3 East Providence at Rhode Island College, 12 p.m.
No. 2 West Warwick vs. No. 1 East Greenwich at Rhode Island College, 4 p.m.
No. 2 Chariho vs. No. 1 La Salle at Rhode Island College, 5:30 p.m.
No. 7 Ponaganset vs. No. 1 Lincoln at Rhode Island College, 7:30 p.m.
No. 1 La Salle vs. No. 2 Moses Brown at Brown University, 11 a.m.
No. 1 Westerly vs. No. 3 Portsmouth at Brown University, 1:30 p.m.
No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 3 Lincoln at Brown University, 4 p.m.
No. 1 Scituate vs. No. 2 Rogers at Brown University, 6 p.m.
RIIL Boys State Championship Meet at Brown University, 11 a.m.
RIIL Girls State Championship Meet at Brown University, 11 a.m.
No. 1 La Salle vs. No. 2 Hendricken, 5 p.m.
No. 1 West Warwick vs. No. 2 Westerly at Rhode Island College, 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 3 Exeter-West Greenwich, 12 p.m.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 5, 2026, results for each game:
13-30-50-52-66, Mega Ball: 02
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 5-3-4-8
Evening: 6-7-9-7
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
01-06-07-12-32, Extra: 05
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
06-38-51-54-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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