The Day the World Turned Yellow

[McBain]

Its everywhere this shoite. Any open window last night and its all over your floor, desk, everywhere.

Got some pics Im transferring now.

 

[McBain]

 

[Bundy]

Cahill closed?

 

[McBain]

 

[Rugby Toffee]

Wow.....is there any smell attached to this....I suppose there is no wind to disperse it? Is this a regular occurence?

 

[McBain]

Its definitely a dirty taste, lots of coughing from people today. No real odour, just thick. No, its windy as hell, gusts, batten down the hatches type stuff. Not regular, Ive never seen it on the East Coast this bad, but it happens regularly in Asia, parts of Africa around deserts. Came from South Australia I hear.

A DUST storm that smothered New South Wales and southern Queensland pushed air pollution levels to 1500 times their normal levels - the highest on record.

Towns across far west NSW were yesterday hit with strong winds and low visibility, and dust swept up from those areas crossed through the state, blanketing Sydney and Brisbane today.

Dr John Leys, principal research scientist with the NSW Department of Climate Change and Water, said initial estimates showed the dust plume stretched 600km along the NSW coast from Sydney to the Queensland border and Brisbane this morning, dumping up to 75,000 tonnes of dust per hour into the Tasman Sea.

"It's travelled about 1500km to get to Sydney," Dr Leys said.

Chris Eiser, manager of atmospheric science at the department, said measurements taken in Sydney today showed the highest level of particle concentration on record.

A normal day would see around 10 micrograms of particles per cubic metre of air and a bushfire might generate 500 micrograms.

Levels today soared to 15,400 micrograms per cubic metre of air at one location.

"During a dust storm, that's when we get our highest levels historically and this is the highest we've measured in Sydney," Mr Eiser said.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the NSW storm was the worst in 70 years, if not the history of the state.

"It's an extremely rare event," BoM NSW regional director Barry Hanstrum said.

“It's one of the worst, if not the worst."

Residents of Sydney and parts of NSW including Moree and Dubbo awoke to scenes likened to "armageddon", with limited visibility and orange skies. The conditions are clearing.

Forecaster Bryan Rollston said the dust, from drought-ravaged western NSW, was propelled by a change from northern to southerly winds.

Low visibility

Tony Auden, a forecaster for the Queensland weather bureau, said Brisbane experienced about one dust storm every couple of years.

“But this is definitely the worst we’ve seen in several years,” Mr Auden said.

“Visibility is at 200 metres at Brisbane Airport.”

Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the good news was a change in weather was expected to lead to clearer conditions tomorrow.

He said it was hoped water-bombing choppers would be back in the air to battle fires caused by the continuation of hot, dry, windy conditions.

More than 300 firefighters were called upon today to fight 21 blazes across the state, but Mr Roberts said it had not been as bad as expected.

 

[Rugby Toffee]

Incredible stuff.

 

[Piijt]

We get them here in North Africa. Horrible, the sand gets everywhere, but pretty common at this time of the year when the wind blows up from the desert, it isn't always a red sky though, just depends which area the sand is blowing from.
We had a sandstorm here today but then it started raining - mud. Car is filthy.

 

[NeoNaoNeo]

Takes a good photo does that McBain.

 

[chicoazul]

Takes a good photo does that McBain.

He most certainly does.

 

[Bundy]

I got the best reception for the internet during this dust storm, we have wireless internet. Kind of strange really.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

I got the best reception for the internet during this dust storm, we have wireless internet. Kind of strange really.

was gonna ask if the tv was down and stuff cos it can easily blank the signal, if that was over here then satelite tv would be stuffed, i'm on cable like so not really arshed.
you get strange atmospheric conditions that can do all sorts of shiz, we got a cb radio for our camper and before we left sydney we could speak to our mate who was up at Cape Hillsborough, yet couldn't get the other side of sydney, it was due to the signal being bounced apparently by atmospheric conditions, something called skip.
in the uk the cb radios used to get italian truckers due to the same thing.

Cape Hillsborough btw was a fantastic place, a bloke even lent us his boat. we went to a bull riding rodeo as well in Mckay.................. a very surreal night with a different breed of folks, the bulls were feckin enormous.

 

[SuitsBlueX2]

 

[bigblueboy]

the beatles... oofva voo

we all live in a yellow dust cloud a yellow dust cloud.............