A remarkable weather phenomenon was captured on video near Ráckeve after a swirling dust devil moved from the riverbank over the Danube and briefly transformed into a spectacular ‘water devil’.
The unusual scene was filmed by Péter Tóth, a member of the Pilis Park Forest team, who had originally gone to the Danube to document the river’s exceptionally low water level. Instead, he ended up recording a rare and striking atmospheric phenomenon.
Dust devil turns into water vortex
Tóth was working in the Ráckeve area when he noticed a small swirling column of air and dust on the riverbank. At first, he was unsure whether the phenomenon was worth filming. But when he realised that the rotating vortex was moving directly towards the Danube, he reached for his phone.
As the vortex reached the water, it began lifting droplets from the river, creating a spectacular swirling column above the surface. Tóth later described the sound of the falling water droplets as resembling a fountain operating in the middle of the river.
Although the phenomenon itself was relatively small and disappeared within a short time, it left behind a clearly visible disturbance on the Danube. According to Tóth, the vortex created waves similar to those produced by a small boat passing through the water.
What is a water devil?
The term “water devil” is commonly used to describe a short-lived rotating column of air over a body of water. However, such phenomena should not automatically be confused with a tornado or a classic waterspout.
Small vortices can form close to the surface when local heating, rising air and particular wind conditions combine. A dust devil developing over land can also move over water, as appears to have happened near Ráckeve.
Humidity, air movement, surface temperatures and local wind conditions can all influence the development of these vortices. Their appearance can be spectacular despite their typically short lifespan.
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Can a water devil be dangerous?
According to Kemma, a small, short-lived water vortex is generally much weaker than a conventional tornado, but it can still pose a risk to people nearby. For small boats and kayaks in particular, sudden rotating winds, waves and disturbed water can create dangerous conditions.
The precise meteorological classification of the phenomenon filmed near Ráckeve cannot be established from the footage alone. What is clear, however, is that the vortex was strong enough to lift water from the Danube and create noticeable waves that remained visible even after the swirling column disappeared.
The extraordinary footage also provided an unexpected glimpse of nature at work during a period when the Danube has been making headlines for a very different reason: its exceptionally low water level.
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