It's a little bit curious. I don't think it's a very well-chosen phrase here. However, the meaning is clear. Literally a "cascade" is a kind of waterfall, usually one that is made up of a series of small waterfalls, and of course waterfalls always fall down. In some cascades, each waterfall is higher, faster, and more turbulent than the waterfall that feeds it, creating a sense of increasing power and size. However, "cascade" can mean "a linked chain of events, each one causing the next, that unfolds in a somewhat chaotic or unpredictable way." Sometimes, it means a chain of events in which each one even causes a bigger one. That's what is meant here. "Cascading up" means that each event causes a bigger event: butterfly's wings -> dust devil -> squall.

https://www.italki.com/question/330291#! Excellent answer