The weather phenomenon was seen near Brisbane Airport at around 2pm, Australian Eastern Time (4am GMT).
A thunderstorm combined with strong winds created a rotating mass of air, which many believed to be a tornado.
However, meteorologists have confirmed the impressive sight was in fact a dust devil.
A dust devil is defined as a small whirlwind or air vortex over land, visible as a column of dust and debris.
“There’s definitely not been a tornado, I had a look at all the radar signatures I could get my hands on,” Jacob Cronje, a senior meteorologist with Fairfax Media’s Weatherzone, told the Brisbane Times.
“It’s an honest mistake to make.
“A tornado is formed from above, whereas dust devils have an upward motion.
“They look impressive, and they’re exactly that [dust devils], because they bring up debris.”
The dust devil was spotted on a patch of grass near the tarmac, whirling a sizeable vortex of dust and debris in the air.
Winds reached speed of up to 60km per hour according to Mr Cronje.
The dust devil itself didn’t affect flights – however, severe storms later in the day caused some minor delays according to a Brisbane Airport spokesperson.
This comes after a freak cold snap in New York, USA, caused one house to resemble an ice palace straight out of Frozen.
Residents next to Lake Ontario in Webster, New York, have been experiencing an intense cold snap.
But it’s not just a chill in the air they’ve had to contend with – the weather has turned some houses into ice sculptures.
A combination of strong winds and low temperatures turned one house into what looks like the White Witch’s stronghold in Narnia.
The ice house was captured by photographer John Kucko, who posted the images to his Facebook page.
