Dust devils, which are rotating vortices, frequently occur on the surface layer of dry land. The impacts of meteorological factors on dust devil properties at higher altitudes remain largely unexplored owing to a shortage of in situ observations on small-scale and short-lived vortices. Using radiosonde profiles and ERA5 reanalysis data together with a large eddy model (LEM), this study investigates the effects of surface pressure, surface sensible heat flux, surface wind and surface roughness on dust devil properties in the Qaidam Basin, which is located at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The results of this study indicate that the LEM is capable of capturing the detailed characteristics of dust devil vortices reported in previous observations. The analysis also revealed that the numbers and lifetime of dust devils increase with the surface pressure. As the surface sensible heat flux increases, dust devils tend to be more intense, accompanied by a slight decrease in lifetime and minor variations in diameter.

A slight decrease in numbers is observed with increasing surface sensible heat flux. This is likely because large surface sensible heat flux reduces the convective ratio (w_⁎/u_⁎) and significantly enhances turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation in the near-surface layer, which does not favor the formation of dust devils. With the intensification of surface winds, the number of dust devils notably reduces, which is associated with the decrease in w_⁎/u_⁎ and the temperature lapse rate (LR). Furthermore, as the surface wind increases, the cellular convection tends to involve convective rolls, which hinders the formation of dust devils. Finally, our analysis reveals that the tilting angles of dust devils increase with increasing surface roughness.