“But it might not happen.
We might see a little pinkish glow in the sky, it might be an annoying haze, or it could be a full-on dust storm.” Sydneysiders will be bracing for a repeat of the 2009 dust storm, which turned skies orange, grounded flights and shrouded landmarks like the Opera House in a deep red haze.
Pyne said this week’s dust storm would more likely arrive in the afternoon than the morning.
“We’re going to just keep watching the dust cloud on the satellite imagery,” she said.
And with less vegetation due to the drought, there is also more exposed soil.
It doesn’t take as much.
For tomorrow we are forecasting strong to gale force winds in parts of western NSW and, if it lifts dust higher up into the atmosphere, as this system tracks east, it will bring the dust with it.” She said Canberra was more likely to experience a dust storm than Sydney, as the capital had already experienced dust events this year.
The bureau has also issued a fire warning in NSW due to the strong, dry winds.
The NSW health department also has a guide to dust storms available on its website.
Infants, children, the elderly and those with heart disease and diabetes are vulnerable to the effects of a dust storm.