den: (Default)
den ([personal profile] den) wrote2002-10-23 05:53 pm

Dust Storm

A dust storm rolled through here about 8am this morning. It hit Sydney later. Apparently it started around Mt Isa in Queensland and blew south.


Photo: Australian Bureau Of Meteorology

update: news reports say it was 400km wide, 2000km long and reached an altitude of 3km. Visability was down to 200metres.

[identity profile] hopeforyou.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
They probably didn't even notice it in Mt. Isa... Either because there's already too much stuff in the air that shouldn't be there, or they were *still* drinking... *snerk*

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
HEH! yeah.

[identity profile] thewatcher.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
Was driving around today and looked out over the city and damn it was almost as bad as during the New Year bushfires at the beginning of the year except this time it was brown instead of black and red. Between the dust storm and number of bushfires burning in and around Sydney, apparently the pollen count or pollution index (or whatever the hell it is) which is normally considered medium to high at 50 was actually topping out at over 150.

Kinda made you want to breathe VERY shallow.

D.

[identity profile] mactavish.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. Is Mt. Isa as droughty now as NSW is?

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Latest estimates say 90% of australia is in drought. Here in NSW, 98% is declared drought.

Dude!

[identity profile] arcturax.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 10:18 am (UTC)(link)
You live in such a fun country, I wanna live down there for a few years!

[identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com 2002-10-23 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
Having allergies to mold and dust and stuff, somehow I feel glad to be a yank so I missed it!
That is an impressive dust storm!