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Confidence votes 95.7K. A sand tornado is not truly a tornado. It is a phenomenon called a dust devil. Dust devils are whirlwinds that form when a layer of hot air forms just above the ground and rises in a relatively small, rotating column, picking up up dust or sand as it does so. Dust devils are rarely strong enough to cause damage, and are much weaker than tornadoes.
There are three main types of tornadoes. Supercell tornadoes are the most common and the strongest. These form from the mesocyclone, or strong, rotating updraft, of an especiaâ¦lly powerful type of thunderstorm called a supercell. These are the tornadoes that will sometimes reach EF4 and EF5 strength.