[X] My Assistant

[Tesheiner]

I thought it would be better to have a separate thread to follow this season's DDs and use the old "First Dust Devil this season - any bets" thread only for the bet itself.

Mods, if you think that's not appropriate please just delete this post/thread.

[djellison]

I refer you to the first Squyres Q'n'A where Steve says it was unlikely to be DD's as one of the cleaning events was at night. I imagine that's just the writer assuming what most people do

Doug

[sattrackpro]

"...it was unlikely to be DD's as one of the cleaning events was at night." - Doug

Well, while it is true that most whirlwinds form during warmer sun-lit afternoons, it is not true that this is the only time they form. We know that wind still blows at night (as implied) - and we know that craters of the right size, depth and formation create many whirlwinds that travel great distances before they collapse.

So statements that a whirlwind cleaning would be unlikely simply because an event took place at night - or statements saying that no whirlwind ever caused a cleaning event are both rather shortsighted and proof-less in my view.