PERRIS (CBSLA.com) — An unusually large dust devil prompted several drivers to stop their cars, pull over and just watch the weather phenomenon in awe Tuesday afternoon.

The dust devil was spotted off the 215 Freeway and Redlands Avenue in Perris at about 2 p.m. Tuesday and was estimated to be about the size of a 20-story building.

“It was a beautiful sight man,” Cleo Montgomery said. He and his friend stopped their car to watch it.

A large dust devil made several drivers pull over in Perris. (credit: CBS)

The National Weather Service says a dust devil is a small, rapidly rotating wind. It’s made visible by the dirt, dust and debris that gets sucked up from the ground. It’s also known as a whirlwind.

Conditions in the Inland Empire – clear skies, high temperatures and dry conditions – have made dust devils a common sight these days.

“Right now, in the summer, pretty much a daily occurrence,” Richard Fourie of Sky Dive Perris Valley.