Whirlwind/tornado/dust devil in the middle of nowhere I live in area which have many properties similar to desert. Many times when I drive by I see a whirlwind/tornado/dust devil of sand or other garbage parts.
I would like to ask how this was normally being created and what kind of force keeps it stable?
How high can such a vortex can get to? (Just an estimation) Is it something unique to desert landscape or this is happening all over the earth surface?
 A: The Wikipedia page on Dust Devils explains it quite well:

Dust devils form when hot air near the surface rises quickly through a
  small pocket of cooler, low- pressure air above it. If conditions are
  just right, the air may begin to rotate. As the air rapidly rises, the
  column of hot air is stretched vertically, thereby moving mass closer
  to the axis of rotation, which causes intensification of the spinning
  effect by conservation of angular momentum. The secondary flow in the
  dust devil causes other hot air to speed horizontally inward to the
  bottom of the newly forming vortex. As more hot air rushes in toward
  the developing vortex to replace the air that is rising, the spinning
  effect becomes further intensified and self-sustaining. A dust devil,
  fully formed, is a funnel-like chimney through which hot air moves,
  both upwards and in a circle. As the hot air rises, it cools, loses
  its buoyancy and eventually ceases to rise. As it rises, it displaces
  air which descends outside the core of the vortex. This cool air
  returning acts as a balance against the spinning hot-air outer wall
  and keeps the system stable.
The spinning effect, along with surface friction, usually will produce
  a forward momentum. The dust devil is able to sustain itself longer by
  moving over nearby sources of hot surface air.
As available extreme hot air near the surface is channeled up the dust
  devil, eventually surrounding cooler air will be sucked in. Once this
  occurs, the effect is dramatic, and the dust devil dissipates in
  seconds. Usually this occurs when the dust devil is not moving fast
  enough (depletion) or begins to enter a terrain where the surface
  temperatures are cooler, causing unbalance.

