Colossal dust devil appears out of nowhere at Florida work site: 'Run for your life!'

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - It was a terrifying sight when a massive dust devil seemingly appeared out of nowhere at a Florida work site last week.

Kenneth Meeks took a video of the natural phenomenon as it spun near Seven Springs Blvd in New Port Richey.

In the video, someone can be heard yelling for people to "Run! Run for your life!"

Meeks, who could be heard describing the incident as "wild," told Storyful it was the largest dust devil he had ever seen.

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Dust devil vs. tornado: What's the difference?

Often confused with tornadoes, dust devils are dust-filled vortices that are usually smaller and less intense than their tornadic cousins, according to the National Weather Service.

Dust devils typically form in fair weather on sunny and hot days with light winds. 

Intense heating along the ground causes a vast difference in temperature within a few hundred feet. The heated air, now quite buoyant, will shoot upward, with surface winds providing some spin.

Weather officials said they usually only last for a few minutes and rarely cause damage, as their wind speeds are quite low.

FOX Weather contributed to this report.