Martian winds are very active on a local scale

Swirling columns of wind and dust known as dust devils occur frequently, and their tracks crisscross large areas. The largest ones can reach heights of 8 kilometers much taller than dust devils on Earth.
Dust devils on Mars form the same way they do in deserts on Earth. You need strong surface heating, so the ground can get hotter than the air above it. Heated less dense air close to the ground rises, punching through the layer of cooler denser air above rising plumes of hot air and falling plumes of cool air begin circulating vertically in convection cells. Now, if a horizontal gust of wind blows through, it turns the convection cells on their sides, so they begin spinning horizontally, forming vertical columns and starting a dust devil.
A better understanding of how dust devils transport particles into the air, as well as how those particles impact climate and conditions over distances, will improve our understanding not only of weather here on Earth, but also on Mars, aiding in better designs and mission plans for future missions.

Phedias Hadjicharalambous.
Cyprus Astronomy Organisation

NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity recorded this image of a swirling Martian dust devil on March 31 2016.