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Incredible photos show red dust storm rolling through NSW

Strong winds and dry conditions have caused a major dust storm to travel across regional New South Wales. Source: Twitter - Matt Scott

Residents watched the sky turn red as a major dust storm spread across parts of regional New South Wales on Tuesday afternoon.

Large parts of the Riverina area, including Griffith, Temora, Ariah Park and Barellan, were hit by a huge dust storm just after lunch. The top soil was swept up by strong, dry winds, turning the sky red for several hours.

According to Nine News, more than 5,000 homes lost power in the area as a result of the storm. The state emergency service had reportedly advised people in potentially affected regions to move their cars under cover and away from tree or power lines and to secure loose items around the house.

The cause of the Mars-like conditions was strong winds and dry conditions, Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) Duty Forecaster Anita Pyne told Starts at 60.

“We have seen a lot of dust storms in NSW recently, the inland parts of NSW have been in drought condition for quite some time now,” Pyne said. “Earlier this week, we saw some dust storms around the Riverina. Also very dry down there, again caused by thunderstorm activity.”

She added: “Thunderstorms suck up a lot of air from the surface. The air gets really cold and dense and so eventually the thunderstorm can’t support all that air up there and it just drops suddenly and that’s what produces the dusty winds of thunderstorms.”

Many took the opportunity to capture the spectacular scene as the blanket of dust travelled through their towns and properties. 

“This afternoon’s dust storm on the farm in Mirrool, NSW,” one Twitter user wrote. 

Read more: Sydney blanketed in dust as massive storm rolls in

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack was in Ariah Park, a small town 35 kilometres west of Temora in regional NSW, and tweeted an image of the approaching dust storm. 

“Summer dust storm engulfing #AriahPark this afternoon,” he wrote.

It was only last month residents near Dubbo were taking to social media to share images of a similar dust storm in their area.

“My NSW farm mate is in Dubbo today… just sent me this pic of the dust storm rolling in,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another added: “I thought you might like to see the dust storm that hit us from the west in Dubbo NSW (and a vast area around us) this afternoon.”

BoM had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the region, but it was later cancelled. 

Have you ever been caught up in a dust storm? Do you remember the 2009 Sydney dust storm?

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