australia being hit with wild weather

[nosferatu_dj]

Wild weather: quakes, hail, fires, dust

Posted 22/09/2009


http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440116_2122174.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440116_2122178.jpg) A dust storm covered a large area of southern Australia. (User submitted : Elizabeth Stevenson )



Related Story: Crews battle blazes across Queensland (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/22/2693405.htm)
Related Story: Dust blankets ACT, NSW (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/22/2693092.htm)
Related Story: NSW, ACT told to brace for wild weather (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/22/2693170.htm)
Related Story: Arson suspected as Qld bushfires flare (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/22/2692934.htm)
Related Story: Qld braces for scorching weather (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/21/2691377.htm)
Related Story: Wild weather, hail, flooding hits SA (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/21/2691666.htm)



Two small earthquakes struck Melbourne's south-east in quick succession tonight, adding to a series of wild weather incidents around the country.
A quake measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale occurred about 20 kilometres south of Frankston around 6:20am AEST.
A magnitude 3.0 tremor struck further south 14 seconds later.
Residents have reported hearing a loud noise and feeling the ground shake, but the State Emergency Service says it has not received any reports of damage.
Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen says it was not an unusual event.
"It does happen, it doesn't happen necessarily often, but what happens if you have one part of the earth has ruptured one way, sometimes you get it rebounding, the earth moving back into equilibrium, going back the other way," he said.
"That does happen. It's not unusual for that to happen."
Severe storms

In New South Wales, wild weather is making its way across the state, with the village of Crookwell near Goulburn suffering extensive hail damage.
The State Emergency Service says it has received 50 requests for help from the small community to deal with smashed windows and roof tiles and damage to cars.
The storms are passing through Sydney, although strong winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour forecast for early tomorrow are predicted to cause more damage.
The SES is asking people to park their cars undercover if possible, but not underneath trees, and to bring any outdoor furniture or equipment inside.
It says so far there have been 140 requests for assistance state-wide.
Major fires

Authorities are are bracing for one of the most dangerous fire threats in several years tomorrow as dry and gusty conditions sweep across Queensland.
Fire crews have already been busy with about 10 major fires between Brisbane and Townsville.
Firefighters are being sent to bushfire hot spots in preparation for worsening conditions.
From midnight more than 60 per cent of the state will be subject to fire bans.
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Services's Paul Adcock says several fires are still burning.
"We haven't had any fires directly threatening homes but certainly we have had homes in the pathway of fire, but we haven't seen the need to actually categorise them as being threatened as such," he said.
Mr Adcock has urged the public to immediately report anyone starting fires deliberately.
"Based on past experience you would have to say that some of them were [deliberately lit], particularly the fires that occur in the national park areas and the forest areas," he said.
"You would really have to doubt that they could start any way than by being deliberately lit or carelessly lit perhaps as well."
Authorities say it is likely many of the bushfires burning across Queensland were deliberately lit.
Dust storm

A dust storm over a large area of southern Australia today shifted tonnes of earth from some of the worst drought-affected areas.
The weather bureau says the storms affected South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT.
The wild weather has caused havoc in some areas, but rain tonight is expected to ease the conditions.

[truth finder]

Did u feel it? i didn't..

But i think we will have a terrible Summer of bush fires this year...

but your right, theres always something going on here.

[nosferatu_dj]

nope didn feel it... wasnt even much rain.

yup australia seems to be all the go these days.... well more then normal anyways

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693643.htm?section=justin

Dust storm chokes Sydney

posted 23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440638_2125548.jpg [/URL] A surfer heads for the water at Bondi Beach. (AAP: Tracey Nearmy)



[URL="http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440607_2125333.asx"] Video: Dust shrouds Sydney (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440638_2125553.jpg)
Audio: ABC weather forecaster Graham Creed speaks to 702's Adam Spencer (ABC News) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/news-audio/200909/20090923-702-graham.mp3)
Map: Sydney 2000 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-33.8631&long=151.2043&caption=Sydney%202000)
Related Story: Dusty day a health hazard for asthmatics (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693907.htm)
Related Story: Dust blankets western Qld (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693681.htm)
Related Link: Photo gallery: dust storm descends on Sydney (http://www.abc.net.au/news/photos/2009/09/23/2693741.htm)
Related Link: Send us your photos or video (http://www.abc.net.au/news/upload/)
Related Link: Follow the dust storm on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#search?q=Sydney)
Related Link: Watch: YouTube video of the dust storm hitting Broken Hill (http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/youtube.htm?v=BrlD22HwPvI)



Sydneysiders are being warned that a huge dust cloud will continue to affect the city through the day, after they woke to an eerie red dawn this morning.
The huge dust storm which has settled over the city and much of New South Wales was carried east overnight by gale-force winds of up to 100kph.
This morning the weather bureau said the dust cloud was expected to hang around until late afternoon.
Senior forecaster Barry Hanstrum says more high winds are on the way and could cause more damage.
"The winds won't drop off until later today and when they do we think that the dust haze will start to clear," he said.
"The weather system that generated the dust yesterday is associated with gale force winds and the area which is most likely to be affected today is the Wollongong-Greater Sydney region and the Hunter Valley-Newcastle area.
"The winds at times during the morning will average 65kph, which is gale force, with some stronger squally gusts up to about 90-100kph."
The dust reduced visibility across the city and large parts of the state, with callers to ABC Radio saying the scene looked like something from the end of the world.
The bureau has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in Sydney and other parts of NSW, with a gale warning issued for Sydney closed waters.
Environmental Health director Dr Wayne Smith says people in poor health, especially those with asthma and heart and lung disease should remain indoors.
He says children with health problems, as well as older adults and pregnant women, should also take precautions and people should avoid heavy exercise.
'Like Armageddon'

Karen from Dulwich Hill, in Sydney's inner west, says she woke up to find the red dust had covered her floors and birds had been blown out of their nests.
"It did feel like Armageddon because when I was in the kitchen looking out the skylight, there was this red, red glow coming through," she said.
Mick told ABC Online: "In Sydney's south-western suburbs I've just woken up to a glowing red window! Thought it was Armageddon! Either that or South Korea [sic] had nuked us!"
Another ABC Online contributor wrote in: "Red. Dusty. Making hard to breath... There are baby birds dead in our backyard. And our cat's gone missing."
Another listener says her lakeside vista has been replaced by a desert view. Others have commented on how birds are struggling to cope with the haze, with some "falling out of the sky".
Another said: "I went out for a ride on my bicycle and I ended up looking like a red panda."
Caller Mary spoke about a dust storm she saw in 1939: "I was 13 years of age and I lived in Leichhardt," she said. "I remember I walked to my aunt's place and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The colour was a sort of yellowy-brown."
Schools open

Meanwhile, schools are still open and parents are being told to send their children to school unless they have asthma or other breathing problems.
Sydney Ferries cancelled its services earlier but they are now set to resume. Flights into Sydney have been diverted to Brisbane and Melbourne. Departing flights are delayed.
Steve, who is driving to Tamworth, says rain is making conditions even more treacherous.
"It's almost raining mud," he told ABC Local Radio. "I have a green car and it's now an orange car. The wipers are barely able to cope with all the mud."
Calls for help

The dust storm is also creating work for the fire brigade, with a huge amount of false alarms triggered by the dust
Supreintendent Warwick Kidd says crews in Sydney have had more than 500 call-outs this morning.
"This is certainly an extraordinary event for us,' he said.
"The dust actuates in some of the electrical componentry and also some of these alarms are actually particle alarms that go off with the particles inside the smoke.
"The dust simulates smoke so the fire alarm goes off."
The ambulance service has received around 140 calls from people having breathing difficulties because of the dust, since the storms began.
More than 50 calls were made from Sydney, 50 from the state's west, 23 from the north and 12 from southern regions.
The SES had 175 calls for help overnight. Most came from Crookwell, north of Canberra, where hail the size of cricket balls has fallen and roofs have been damaged.
'Pretty widespread'

Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Jane Golding said dust had settled on much of the state, including Sydney.
"It's pretty widespread," she said.
"We've had reports of low visibility up out as far up as Moree, Dubbo, Canberra's got some raised dust in the area and Wollongong, so it's very widespread."
Gale force winds of up to 100kph hit the Hunter region before moving through Sydney early this morning.
"Dubbo's still in pretty thick dust. The dust will last a bit but we're also expecting those winds to pick up as well."
Havoc in the Hunter

The storm has also wreaked havoc in the Hunter Valley, where the dusty air reducing visibility to between 100 and 200 metres.
Peter from Branxton says he cannot see past his front gate.
"It looks foggy but it's not fog, if you're going to do a movie about the end of the world you'd do it today," he said.
Lorraine from Broke thought there was a bushfire.
"It's very dusty, visibility is very poor and we have an orange crimson light, it's quite eerie," she said.
Steve from Maitland says he has never seen anything like it.
"Bushfirey-type smoke, but the dust is very pungent... I've just shut the house up," he said.
Yesterday gale force winds whipped up heavy dust storms and powerful electrical storms across parts of New South Wales.
The winds will also reach parts of Victoria, where a flash flooding warning has been issued.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693687.htm?section=justin

Crews battle more than 10 blazes across Qld

Posted 23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058693.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058698.jpg) More than 60pc of Qld is under fire bans. (Qld Fire and Rescue Service)




Related Story: Crews battle blazes across Queensland (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/22/2693405.htm)



A bushfire forced the evacuation of homes on a south-east Queensland island overnight and 10 other bushfires were contained across the state.
Fire crews fought the blaze on Macleay Island between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the state's south-east for hours.
Residents left their homes as a precaution while crews backburned nearby areas.
More than 26 hectares of bush was burnt out, but no homes were lost and more than 10 other large bushfires across the state yesterday are now under control.
Fire bans have been imposed for more than 60 per cent of Queensland since midnight AEST, with total fire bans in place in most areas until at least tomorrow.
Weather bureau spokesman Tony Auden says conditions in the south-east will be treacherous for firefighters in the south-east today.
"I guess the worst conditions are for today but dry winds and stronger winds will definitely make conditions around the south-east very dangerous," he said.
"We are anticipating an extreme fire danger for much of south-east Queensland.
"We are looking at a possible el Nino year which is normally drier and if we don't get the rain, well then fire conditions could be nasty right through summer."
Danger 'real'

Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts says the fire danger is real and Queenslanders living near bushland should be careful.
"Terrible tragedies can occur so any fire we please ask people to report it to 000 as quickly as possible," he said.
"The weather bureau is predicting hot dry windy conditions over much of Queensland for the next few days.
"The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have implemented total fire bans in 50 to 60 per cent of the state, so it is really important that people take extra care, but most particularly if they see a fire anywhere please report it to 000."
Sunshine Coast

Fire crews also worked throughout the night to keep bushfires on the Sunshine Coast and further north near Gympie contained.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) spokesman Peter Hollier says seven crews, a bulldozer and a water bombing helicopter were used to contain a blaze at Cedar Pocket, east of Gympie.
"This morning again they've been up very early and they're out there just making sure that fire is kept within those containment lines, with the expected weather that we're going to have," he said.
"The same thing is happening in Imbil so again the crews collectively worked very, very well overnight to make sure that we keep within those containment lines given that the fire weather forecast isn't looking very well for today and for the next couple of days.
"We've got crews that have been up since five this morning - they're heading out to Imbil.
"They're also going out to patrol other areas that have happened overnight.
"A couple of small breakouts that we've had including around the Nanango and certainly in the back of Widgee, just north of Gympie, so again crews are out there doing it again as we speak."
North Queensland

In north Queensland, a fire ban remains in place in the Whitsunday Shire while fire crews monitor several areas in the region.
Firefighters battled grass and bush fires near Townsville.
A number of vegetation fires around Home Hill, Townsville and Calcium are still smouldering.
Crews are also still watching a grass fire at Beelbi Creek in Queensland's Wide Bay region.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693890.htm?section=justin

Dust whips up storm on Twitter

By ABC News Online's Gary Kemble
Posted 5 hours 33 minutes ago
Updated 4 hours 54 minutes ago
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440676_2125767.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440676_2125772.jpg) Kanye West has his say on the Sydney dust storm, in satire by Twitter user WauloK. Photo by Kate Gibson. (http://img85.yfrog.com/i/cpz.jpg/: WauloK)



Related Link: Twitter pics: Sydney dust storm (http://www.twicsy.com/tag/sydney%20dust%20storm)
Related Link: Dust storm photos on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sydney+dust+storm)



As the dust storm blanketed Sydney and other parts of New South Wales this morning, Twitter lit up with users swapping jokes and sharing information.
At about 5:30am a couple of people started using the #duststorm tag.
StephenRants: Is it just me or are we having a #duststorm?
marclehmann: Is there a massive dust storm in Sydney? Outside it red haze and you can't see past 100m. #duststorm
It soon became clear that the dust storm that swept across the ACT and western NSW yesterday had indeed hit the capital.
julie_posetti Canberra & much of regional NSW looked apocalyptic due 2 bizarre dust storm yy but it's only really causing a stir now that it's hit Syd...
By 8:30am thousands of dust storm tweets had been sent, sending 'Sydney' to third place in Twitter's trending topics.
Some people wanted to swap information, tips and their experiences.
@neerav: #sydneyduststorm avoid photographing cause the fine red dust is the kind which can sneak into your camera & cause trouble
mpesce The trip over the Bridge was like being stuck inside a pink ping-pong ball.
PaddyPlasterer: Realtime twitter image stream of sydney #duststorm http://bit.ly/11XBdD
But of course many just wanted to trade jokes and repartee.
PhilWillis: Feels at least partly responsible for the #sydneyduststorm - I washed the windows on Sunday.
catri: Didn't bother taking a photo of the red dust over the harbour at 6am. Assumed it was the Rapture. Yawn. Went back to sleep. #duststorm
renailemay It kind of feels like God decided he'd had enough of Adobe claiming Photoshop has great colour-filters!
catatonickid: @YogaChicky what do you reckon, alien death ray?? #duststorm
Croc_Hunteress: I always thought Sydney was hell :) now it just looks like it! #duststorm
@rod3000: Calming the kids before walking to school. Told them it's just ranga's dandruff #duststorm
teenateacup: Holy hell. It looks like we live in Darwin #duststorm
IAmTheAnt: Attn red #duststorm : u look really cool & all, but can u pls go away out to sea so my husband can fly home? Kthxbi.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693907.htm?section=justin

Dust creates 'perfect storm' for asthmatics

Posted 23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440730_2126127.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440730_2126132.jpg) Stay inside: A dust storm covers the suburban streets of Singleton in the Hunter Valley (User submitted: Bridget Reeves)




People with asthma and other lung conditions are being told to stay indoors today, as dust blankets most of New South Wales.
The ambulance service has received about 217 calls from people having breathing difficulties since the storms began.
Forty calls were made from Sydney, while the rest were from the state's west, south and north.
ABC weather forecaster Graham Creed says particles in the air have reached dangerous levels.
"They're classed as dangerous at levels above 200," he said.
"In Sydney's east they're recording about 256, in the north west 919 and in the south west 1,719.
"But Sydney is not the worst, Bathurst at the moment is 2,665."
Dr Wayne Smith from New South Wales Health says some people are more susceptible.
"The sensitive groups are really children, older adults and pregnant women and people who have asthma or heart disease or lung disease," he said.
The CEO of the Asthma Foundation, Greg Smith, says dust, winds and pollens have combined to create a "perfect storm" for asthmatics.
But he says sufferers can minimise the effects.
"You need to make absolutely certain you've got your windows closed, [that] you're trying to reduce the amount of exposure you have to the dust,' he said.
"In addition to that you need to make absolutely certain you've got your reliever medication with you."
About 10 per cent of the New South Wales population is affected by asthma.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693955.htm?section=justin

NSW holds its breath as dust descends

Posted23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440748_2126395.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440748_2126400.jpg) Darling Harbour is blanketed with dust this morning (User submitted: Diann Payne)



Video: Sydney wakes to red dawn (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440810_2126771.asx)
Video: Video footage taken at the height of Broken Hill's dust-storm 'black-out' (ABC Broken Hill) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693955.htm?section=justin)
Audio: ABC weather forecaster Graham Creed speaks to 702's Adam Spencer (ABC News) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/news-audio/200909/20090923-702-graham.mp3)



At least 250 people across New South Wales have called 000 with breathing problems after choking dust storms blanketed greater Sydney, the Hunter Valley and vast swathes of the rest of the state overnight.
Sydney has been the hardest hit, with 95 calls made since midnight, with the rest of the alerts coming from the state's west, south and north.
Doctors are warning people from vulnerable groups to stay inside until conditions ease and paramedics say they are expecting more call-outs.
The dust cloud is expected to hang around until later afternoon and ABC weather forecaster Graham Creed says particles in the air have reached dangerous levels.
"They're classed as dangerous at levels above 200," he said.
"In Sydney's east they're recording about 256, in the north-west 919, and in the south-west 1,719. But Sydney is not the worst, Bathurst at the moment is 2,665."
Asthma Foundation CEO Greg Smith says dust, winds and pollen have combined to create a "perfect storm" for asthmatics.
"You need to make absolutely certain you've got your windows closed, [that] you're trying to reduce the amount of exposure you have to the dust,' he said.
"In addition to that you need to make absolutely certain you've got your reliever medication with you."
About 10 per cent of the New South Wales population is affected by asthma.
Environmental Health director Dr Wayne Smith says people in poor health, especially those with asthma and heart and lung disease should remain indoors.
He says children with health problems, as well as older adults and pregnant women, should also take precautions and people should avoid heavy exercise
The huge dust storm which settled over Sydney and much of New South Wales was carried east overnight by gale-force winds of up to 100kph.
This morning the weather bureau said the dust cloud was expected to hang around until late afternoon.
The NSW Environment Department says the dust storm has blown 16,000 tonnes of dust across the state each hour in the last 24 hours.
Senior forecaster Barry Hanstrum says more high winds are on the way and could cause more damage.
"The winds won't drop off until later today and when they do we think that the dust haze will start to clear," he said.
"The weather system that generated the dust yesterday is associated with gale force winds and the area which is most likely to be affected today is the Wollongong-Greater Sydney region and the Hunter Valley-Newcastle area.
"The winds at times during the morning will average 65kph, which is gale force, with some stronger squally gusts up to about 90-100kph."
The dust reduced visibility across the city and large parts of the state, with callers to ABC Radio saying the scene looked like something from the end of the world.
The bureau has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in Sydney and other parts of NSW, with a gale warning issued for Sydney closed waters.
The Environment Department's Dr John Lees says the storm will cause long-term damage to the Lake Eyre Basin.
"Dust is actually full of lots and lots of organic matter and nutrients, it's really the most fertile part of the soil that's being winnowed out, it's only the fine parts, but the fine parts are where all the nutrition is," he said.
"So where it's being blown from there's a massive loss of fertility and a lot of the plants have been sandblasted so there are now extensive areas which have been laid bare."
'Like Armageddon'

Karen from Dulwich Hill, in Sydney's inner west, says she woke up to find the red dust had covered her floors and birds had been blown out of their nests.
"It did feel like Armageddon because when I was in the kitchen looking out the skylight, there was this red, red glow coming through," she said.
Mick told ABC Online: "In Sydney's south-western suburbs I've just woken up to a glowing red window! Thought it was Armageddon! Either that or South Korea [sic] had nuked us!"
Another ABC Online contributor wrote in: "Red. Dusty. Making hard to breath... There are baby birds dead in our backyard. And our cat's gone missing."
Another listener says her lakeside vista has been replaced by a desert view. Others have commented on how birds are struggling to cope with the haze, with some "falling out of the sky".
Another said: "I went out for a ride on my bicycle and I ended up looking like a red panda."
Caller Mary spoke about a dust storm she saw in 1939: "I was 13 years of age and I lived in Leichhardt," she said. "I remember I walked to my aunt's place and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The colour was a sort of yellowy-brown."

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694051.htm?section=justin

Flight delays remain as dust settles in Sydney

By Online business reporter Michael Janda
Posted 23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440653_2125631.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440653_2125636.jpg) Red dust and gale force winds have severely disrupted flights into and out of Sydney (User submitted: Amber Hooper)




Many flights into and out of Sydney have been delayed by hours, causing economic chaos and traveller annoyance to go with the doomsday images associated with the dust storm.
While Sydney Airport's website lists some flights as having arrived on time, many international flights were delayed by 5 or 6 hours, particularly those that had to be diverted to land in Brisbane or Melbourne.
Some early morning international flights that were diverted are not estimated to arrive in Sydney until this afternoon.
Many flights originating in New Zealand are listed as cancelled, with many others that were due to arrive this afternoon rescheduled to arrive later this evening.
It has also been a lottery for domestic flights, with some arriving as scheduled but many morning flights now estimated to arrive some time this afternoon as the dust settles in Sydney and the backlog of flights is made up.
It has been no different for departures, with many international and domestic flights cancelled and others delayed for hours.
The manager of media and communications at Sydney Airport, Michael Samaras, told ABC News Online that, "it will take hours to get back to normal. Passengers should expect delays throughout the day."
He says that low visibility is usually caused by fog, which occurs in still conditions, and this morning's unusual combination of high winds and low visibility substantially reduced the number of flights able to safely take-off or land.
"Low visibility from dust haze combined with high winds has caused significant disruption to operations at Sydney Airport," he noted in a statement.
"While some flights have landed and departed, Sydney Airport is expecting delays and disruption to flight schedules throughout the day."
He emphasised that it was not a total airport shutdown, but says passengers should check with their airline or the Sydney Airport website (http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/) to get the latest flight updates.
That was difficult this morning, as Sydney Airport's website was flooded with people seeking information and was not loading when ABC News Online checked at 11:15am.
However, whether through the efforts of Sydney Airport's IT staff or through a drop-off in hits, at 1:10pm the website was working again, albeit slowly.
Qantas says that severe delays are likely to continue throughout the day, and that domestic passengers with non-essential travel arrangements should reconsider their travel plans and contact the airline.
"Passengers wishing to cancel their flights today (domestic-only) will be offered a refund or the opportunity to change their booking without penalty," the company noted on its website (http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/disruptions/global/en) just before 11:00am AEST.
It says outbound international passengers and domestic passengers who are continuing with their plans to fly should go to the airport, but expect long delays.
"While domestic services have recommenced, there will continue to be severe delays to all outbound domestic flights from Sydney Airport," the website advises.
The biggest disruption has been to international arrivals, many of which were diverted.
"There are severe delays to all flights. All international flight arrivals have been diverted to Brisbane or Melbourne this morning," Qantas said.
The delays have affected business travel and tourism, as well as having a direct cost impact on the airlines.
Mr Samaras says the dust storm will not have a direct financial impact on Sydney Airport's bottom line, as the airlines have to cover any extra staffing or logistical costs associated with flight delays.
Qantas says it cannot provide an estimate at this stage of how much that cost is likely to be, or exactly how many of its flights and passengers have been affected.
When asked whether tonight's flight curfew may be extended to help get flights back onto schedule before tomorrow, Mr Samaras said that it is up to airlines to apply to the Department of Infrastructure if they want a dispensation from the curfew.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694174.htm?section=justin

Millions choke as dust sweeps up coast

Posted23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440900_2127580.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440900_2127585.jpg) Seeing double: Dust blankets Sydney and Brisbane (AAP/User submitted: Paul Osborne, Amber Hooper)



Video: Sydney wakes to red dawn (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440810_2126771.asx)
Video: Sydneysiders done and dusted (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440825_2126870.asx)
Video: Dawn dust settles on Sydney (The Midday Report) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440855_2127041.asx)
Video: Video footage taken at the height of Broken Hill's dust-storm 'black-out' (ABC Broken Hill) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694174.htm?section=justin)
Audio: Dust storms blanket NSW delaying flights nationwide (AM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/200909/20090923-am06-weird-weather.mp3)
Related Story: Brisbane on alert as dust storms sweep east (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694096.htm)
Related Story: Dust to return despite heavy rain (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693739.htm)
Related Story: Dust blankets south-east NSW (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694065.htm)
Related Link: Bureau of Meteorology website (http://www.bom.gov.au/)
Related Link: Dust in our veins - Photo Gallery (http://www.abc.net.au/science/photos/?site=science&gallery=/science/photos/xml/09duststorms.xml)



Millions of people in New South Wales and Queensland are looking up at orange skies today after dust storms hit areas from greater Sydney in the south to Brisbane in the north.
Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693643.htm) this morning after strong north-westerly overnight winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the Harbour City. The story was the same in the Hunter Valley, Wollongong, and in areas further west around Broken Hill.
Later in the day the dust arrived in Brisbane (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694096.htm), with the Queensland capital bathed in an orange glow, but conditions were less severe than those further south.
The weather bureau says it is the worst dust storm since the 1940s and the NSW Environment Department's Chris Eiser says the particle pollution is 10 times the worst on record.
The Sydney Opera House turned orange as the haze covered the city and flights were delayed and diverted.
Passengers at Sydney Airport are facing delays (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694051.htm) of up to six hours for international flights and an hour-and-a-half for domestic trips.
Several international flights bound for Sydney have been diverted to Melbourne Airport, while some flights from Tullamarine to Sydney have been delayed by up to five hours.
Brisbane Airport is still operating but it says there are "severe delays" to all flights.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has closed all major building sites across Sydney because workers were suffering from respiratory problems and eye irritations.
A union spokesman says one worker collapsed at a Newtown site due to breathing problems.
The Sydney dust cloud is expected to hang around until later this afternoon and ABC weather forecaster Graham Creed says particles in the air have reached dangerous levels.
"They're classed as dangerous at levels above 200," he said.
"In Sydney's east they're recording about 256, in the north-west 919, and in the south-west 1,719. But Sydney is not the worst, Bathurst at the moment is 2,665."
Emergency departments are under pressure after at least 250 people across New South Wales called 000 with breathing problems.
The Health Department is urging people to stay indoors (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693907.htm) and says the air quality in Sydney could remain hazardous for as long as three days.
The department's Dr Wayne Smith says people should protect themselves until the warning is lifted.
"This is expected to last today, tomorrow, and maybe even into Friday, and the expectation is also that people will not be doing vigorous exercise during that period of time," he said.
"Although the levels are very high outside, they are also building up inside as time goes by."
As high winds pushed the haze into southern Queensland, fire crews said they were worried it could complicate the fight against at least a dozen bushfires which had flared across the region.
Dust experts say millions of tonnes of sediment and soil nutrients will be lost in the dust storms.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694284.htm?section=justin

Dust deluge hinders Qld fire fighting efforts

Posted 23/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058693.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058698.jpg) More than 60pc of Qld is under fire bans. (Qld Fire and Rescue Service)




Emergency services say water bombing helicopters fighting bushfires in Queensland's south-east will have to be grounded if dusty conditions get worse.
Widespread dust storms are sweeping through the region.
Fire crews are trying to contain bushfires near the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg and west of Brisbane as the thick dusty wind continues.
Ten crews are fighting a large grassfire burning since yesterday at Imbil, near Gympie.
A house was saved from the fire at Neurum, north of Brisbane, this morning and crews have contained a blaze at Cedar Pocket on the Sunshine Coast.
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) says water bombing helicopters will be called off if conditions deteriorate.
They are also monitoring fires at Imbil on the Sunshine Coast, as well as Lowmead near Gladstone.
QFRS spokesman Fergus Adrian says the windy, dusty conditions are making it difficult for crews to see firefronts.
He says it is making it dangerous for water bombing helicopters.
"It's inhibiting our operations insofar as vision and having aircraft operating as well," he said.
Energex spokeswoman Kathryn Ryan says the strong, gusty winds are bringing down powerlines causing blackouts to more than 700 homes across the south-east.
"If people do see powerlines down today we just ask them to stay right away and call Energex on 13 19 62 and we can crews out there to put the power back on," she said.
There has been severe delays at the Brisbane Airport after the dust caused havoc in Sydney.
Brisbane Airport spokeswoman Rebecca McConochie says visibility is falling quickly and the airport might have to close.
"Visibility needs to get down to a couple of hundred metres before it's considered unsafe," she said.
Weather forecast

The weather bureau says it expects a dusty haze will move into Queensland's far north.
Senior forecaster Tony Auden says visibility at the Brisbane Airport got down to 200 metres earlier today.
He says the dusty conditions should ease overnight in the south-east.
"The winds are expected to slowly ease," he said.
"We've seen gusts up to around 50 or 60 kilometres an hour around the south-east.
"Expect them to ease slightly and with them the fire danger should start to drop too.
"For the next couple of days at least expect hopefully those clearer skies and cooler temperatures and lighter winds, so we will be out of those extreme fire dangers at least for a few days."

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694311.htm?section=justin

Dept admits error in air quality forecast

Posted 23/09/2009


Audio: Respiratory expert Dr Christine Jenkins speaks to ABC Local Radio (ABC News) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/news-audio/200909/20090923-702-jenkins.mp3)



The New South Wales Environment Department has admitted its forecast for air quality in Sydney today was wildly wrong after a dust storm prompted hundreds of emergency calls due to breathing difficulties.
Until this morning, the department's website was forecasting conditions would be good.
Conditions have since been revised to "very poor," with particle pollution 10 times the worst on record.
Environment Minister John Robertson has told parliament that while the website was slow to update, automatic alerts warning of the deteriorating situation were sent out overnight to subscribers.
"The forecast weather predictions prior to the dust storms included rain resulting in there being no prediction of high pollution and therefore no health alerts sent in advance," he said.
"However as soon as air quality exceedences began to be recorded at air quality monitoring stations, health alerts were automatically generated."
Opposition environment spokeswoman Catherine Cusack says the dust storm has exposed failures in the state's air quality monitoring systems.
"The Government has been caught out really badly for incompetence in the management of this website, she said.
"The deeper problem is that the air quality monitoring data is not being collected, it's not being analysed.
"So while it's very obvious what the problem with this is today, it's a problem every day."

[ozpixie]

Here on the SA coast we have had torrential rain which is quite bizarre in the way its been falling. Clouds appearing suddenly, no real strong wind to speak of on the ground and huge downpours that dump massive rain and within minutes the sky has begun to clear and you can see huge patches of blue sky. Then a few hours later boom the same thing. A customer told us this morning his raingauge measured 105mm in just on 48hours. We had a pool pump on the concrete floor of the back verandah until almost midnight so the shop did not flood. Today it just looks a bit bleak, cool but who knows if it will pour again. Really STRANGE and I believe the boyz have been playing with a HAARP type device.

[nosferatu_dj]

Really STRANGE and I believe the boyz have been playing with a HAARP type device.

good to have some info from over SA... im in the south-east of vic.

not alot of rain.. but when it dus rain it is bucketing down,,, on and off over past 2 days... bit windy but not alot.
looks like it is mainly QLD and NSW getting it all real bad.

as for the possible HAARP or somthing else being used... would not surprize me in the least if it is.

[limelady]

Wow.....I'm kinda glad I'm in NZ at the moment. You poor Aussies are getting a thorough whipping again. :(

[i_am]

Brisbane has been hit by the dust storm today. It was fine this morning but by lunch time you could not see the end of the street. It is clearing a bit now but is still very windy and hazy.

My eyes and throat hurt :o

[dude111]

Very bloody strange!

[candygirl]

"Australia's biggest city, Sydney, has been shrouded in red dust blown in by winds from the deserts of the outback.

Visibility is so bad that international flights have been diverted and harbour ferry traffic disrupted.

Emergency services reported a surge in calls from people suffering breathing problems. Children and the elderly have been told to stay indoors.

Sydney's landmarks, including the Opera House, have been obscured, and many residents are wearing masks.

Traffic has been bumper-to-bumper on major roads.
The dust blanketing eastern parts of New South Wales has been carried by powerful winds that snatched up tons of topsoil from the drought-ravaged west of the state.

One Sydney resident told the Associated Press news agency: "The colour was amazing... I'm 72 years old and I've never seen that in my life before."

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned of "widespread damaging winds" in Sydney and other areas, as gusts of 65km/h (40mph) hit the city.

Forecasters predicted the winds would weaken later on Wednesday.

The BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney says it has been a difficult 24 hours for Australia, which has been hit by earthquakes, hail storms and bushfires.

In parts of New South Wales, huge hail stones whipped up by thunderstorms smashed windows and sent residents running for cover.

Further north in Queensland, officials banned open fires in many areas when bushfires sprang up after a spell of hot, dry weather.

Two minor earthquakes hit Victoria state on Tuesday, and heavy rains that followed led officials to issue a warning of flash floods."

[xeon]

Looks so eerie.....The effect of this...maybe a lot of Aussies will start wondering if its the end times now...if they haven't yet. A good way to get a message across? ;)

[i_am]

It is eerie :eek:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/photogallery/national/sydneys-red-dawn-heads-for-brisbane/20090923-g0x8.html?selectedImage=7

[amabus]

Is it really as red as the pictures I've seen?

Angela

[nosferatu_dj]

Is it really as red as the pictures I've seen?

Angela

yeah it is....

here is a pic a person i know sent me and others in a group i am in on yahoo.

http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/duststorm-sydney-23-9-2009.html
Sydney Dust Storm 23/9/2009
I woke up this morning to the entire inside of our home being illuminated by this reddish glow. I took a few photos. The dust storm started yesterday and covered most of Broken Hill and by 3pm there it was completely dark there. Canberra yesterday had visibility down to 1 kilometre and today Sydney is completely covered and is the biggest dust storm to cover Sydney ever. The entire cloud extends from down South of Sydney past Sydney and up to the North Coast.
Although not rare-it is for Sydney. I am listening to the radio and people from over the Blue Mountains say this is a normal event that happens all the time out there. City people just don't see these events. I remember a few months go a town somewhere had the biggest dust storm ever recorded anywhere in Australia. We have all the windows closed as they recommended by the health commision over particulates and most events outside today are cancelled. A Lady just phoned the radio station and she was asking why the sun was blue this morning.
http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-newspaper-articles.html%27,800,700%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image3.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image4.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image5.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;)
http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image6.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;)


http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7a.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27gallery-day1-rafflestamworth.html%27,700,800%29;) http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7b.jpg http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7c.jpg

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7d.jpg http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/images/duststorms/image7e.jpg

Photographs Greg

[size_of_light]

Premier John Brumby to meet with Queen Elizabeth II to discuss life after Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires

PREMIER John Brumby will meet Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom in October, to discuss life after Victoria's bushfires.

At the meeting, scheduled for October 5 at an undisclosed location, Mr Brumby and the Queen will discuss the impact of the Black Saturday bushfires on local communities, the rebuilding effort and preparation for the coming bushfire season.

Acting Premier Rob Hulls, a staunch Republican said, "I think it's a coup for the Premier, I don't think there has been too many Premiers who have had individual meetings with the Queen."

"I expect there will be a whole range of matters that the Premier will want to discuss".

"I think it's great that the Queen has taken a real interest in the bushfires and the recovery.

“I know the message was sent shortly after Black Saturday from Buckingham Palace in relation to those families that were adversely affected, and she is very keen to be kept updated.

“I think that's a good thing".

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/premier-john-brumby-to-meet-with-queen-about-bushfires/story-e6frf7jo-1225778551362

The Queen takes a 'real interest' in a lot of highly-suspicious, devastating tragedies.

According to the TV News, Brumby will be presenting her with lots of lovely, graphic, colour photos of the inferno as a personal gift from the State of Victoria, too.

Sadistic bitch.

[ozpixie]

Is it really as red as the pictures I've seen?

Angela

There is a lot of iron oxide in the desert sands. We call it bulldust. It has a distinctive metallic taste and leaves your eyes really gritty, you feel like it will choke you and its horrible but until now I have never seen it anywhere near a big city.

[nicolaj]

who's upset the elite lately

[i_am]

who's upset the elite lately

It is just the effect of years of drought. While they may have the ability to manipulate the weather that has given us the big drought, this is just the dust from the red centre :)

[i_am]

There is a lot of iron oxide in the desert sands. We call it bulldust. It has a distinctive metallic taste and leaves your eyes really gritty, you feel like it will choke you and its horrible but until now I have never seen it anywhere near a big city.


Yes my eyes were so sore before, I had to log off and rest the eyes for a while. They were stinging from the dust.

[nosferatu_dj]

Truckloads of dust ripped from barren land

By Timothy McDonald for The World Today

(http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/)
Posted Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:36pm AEST
Updated Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:48pm AEST
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441050_2128386.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441050_2128393.jpg) The winds have swept up enough dust every hour to fill thousands of semi-trailers. (User Submitted: Theresa Kunde)



Video: Sydney wakes to red dawn (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440810_2126771.asx)
Video: Queensland cops a dusting (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441119_2128816.asx)
Video: Sydneysiders done and dusted (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440825_2126870.asx)
Video: Asthmatics warned of dust danger (The Midday Report) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440864_2127090.asx)
Audio: Dust storms shroud New South Wales and Queensland (The World Today) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/twt/200909/20090923-twt-04-dust-storm.mp3)



Experts say a huge orange dust storm rolling through Australia's east coast is lining up to become one of the largest on record.
The storm is a major health hazard for people with lung problems and is stripping valuable topsoil from farms.
It has swept up enough dust every hour to fill thousands of semi-trailers and has blanketed Sydney in a grainy haze, disrupting air traffic and port operations.
Dr John Leys, the southern program coordinator of scientific program Dust Watch, says it is the worst measured storm in seven years of monitoring and the largest to reach Sydney since the 1960s.
However, he says radio callers are correct in pointing out that dust storms used to be more common.
"There used to be a lot more dust storms more frequent in the past and they were like this, but they often didn't come this far into Sydney," he said.
"In fact, the number of dust storms was getting less and less through time.
"Certain parts of the landscape will suffer nutrient loss and soil loss - some of those won't recover but the vast majority will. It is not a complete disaster."
Dr Leys says a number of dust storms have been raging in South Australia for several weeks and have now pushed out towards the east coast.
But he says land management is constantly improving, which is helping to reduce the impact of dust storms.
Concern for agriculture

Judith Hams, who lives on a farm about 100 kilometres from Broken Hill, says the dust storms have had a huge impact.
"We were really dry, we've only had about 70 millimetres for the year and we were starting to feed stock," she said.
"We also sold a lot of our stock because of the drought and most of the little bits of grass that were trying to grow and herbage that was trying to survive will be destroyed with the wind from last night. It was just a cutting wind that took everything with it."
Stephen Cattle, a senior lecturer of soil science at Sydney University, says that is a real concern for agriculture.
"The top soil is often some of the better soil because lower down the soil becomes a bit more salty, a bit more sodium rich and not so hospitable for plant growth," he said.
"So by losing the top soil in particular, where most of our organic matter resides, most of our organic carbon resides, it represents quite a loss to the potential productivity of that soil."
Dr Cattle says overgrazing can cause disruption of the topsoil, but if farmers do not over-cultivate the land, the storm will be better able to resist wind erosion.
"I think we pretty much all understand that Australia is generally an arid continent and so from time to time, when the rain doesn't fall and the wind howls, then these dust storms are going to occur," he said.
"So to an extent we can control the severity of these storms, but at the end of the day nature will always win."

[nosferatu_dj]

Sydney breathes again as dust covers Brisbane

Posted Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:20pm AEST
Updated Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:04pm AEST
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440984_2127959.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440984_2127964.jpg) Behind a veil: The Brisbane skyline is swathed in dust (ABC: Tim Leslie)



Video: Wild weather plagues Qld (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441145_2129008.asx)
Video: Sydney wakes to red dawn (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440810_2126771.asx)
Video: Sydneysiders done and dusted (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440825_2126870.asx)
Video: Dawn dust settles on Sydney (The Midday Report) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440855_2127041.asx)
Video: Video footage taken at the height of Broken Hill's dust-storm 'black-out' (ABC Broken Hill) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694487.htm?section=justin)
Audio: Dust storms blanket NSW delaying flights nationwide (AM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/200909/20090923-am06-weird-weather.mp3)



The weather bureau says it expects a massive dust storm will continue to move into Queensland's far north, leaving Sydney and Brisbane with clean air but coated in a film of dust.
Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn after strong north-westerly overnight winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the Harbour City, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the state's west.
Hours later the dust cleared from Sydney and arrived in Brisbane, hampering firefighting efforts in southern Queensland by temporarily grounding water bombing helicopters.
Senior forecaster Tony Auden says the dusty conditions should ease overnight in Queensland's south-east.
"We've seen gusts up to 50 or 60 kilometres an hour around the south-east," he said.
"We expect them to ease slightly and with them the fire danger should start to drop too.
"For the next couple of days at least, expect hopefully those clearer skies and cooler temperatures and lighter winds, so we will be out of those extreme fire dangers at least for a few days."
But Mr Auden says the dust haze that has blanketed Sydney and Brisbane will also be experienced in the far north.
"It should make its way up into the Sunshine Coast and into those Capricornia and central coast areas soon," he said.
"Much of western Queensland is still experiencing dust haze too and I think we will see dust all the way up to the tropics.
"For the south-east expect it to probably linger for the rest of today and hopefully settle out of the air overnight. We should have relatively normal conditions with just a bit of lingering haze for tomorrow."
Queensland Health's Christine Selvey says the dust, combined with smoke from bushfires, means people with lung and heart disease need to remain vigilant.
"They need to monitor their symptoms closely and to follow their management plan if they start getting any symptoms that are worse," she said.
"Most people with asthma have an asthma management plan and certainly if their symptoms are getting worse and they are unable to control them adequately, then they need to seek attention early on."
Transport affected

The poor visibility hampered transport across the affected regions, slowing traffic and delaying flights.
Two men in a small fishing boat off South Stradbroke Island just north of Brisbane could not find their way back to land because of the dust, and a helicopter was sent to find them.
Gold Coast Water Police found the men about eight kilometers east of Jumpinpin.
Queensland police say the dust is reducing visibility on the roads and Sergeant Laurie Shevlin has warned drivers to slow down.
"It's quite an unusual event and as we can all see, it's clearly reducing the visibility the people have on the roads," he said.
"So I just urge all motorists that when you are driving, or even as pedestrians crossing the road, that you just drive to the conditions. If you can't see very far in front of you then obviously slow down."
Airport delays

The dust storms also caused long delays at Sydney and Brisbane airports.
Passengers at Sydney Airport faced delays of up to six hours for international flights and three hours for domestic trips, and some international flights bound for Sydney were diverted to Melbourne Airport.
Melbourne Airport's Carly Phillips says the backlog is now being cleared.
"We still have some of the international diversions that are on the ground and preparing to get back up and just go on their way to Sydney," she said.
"But the domestic flights are returning to normal, so I would anticipate that certainly in the next few hours we would be almost back on schedule."
Visibility at Brisbane Airport was reduced to 200 metres earlier today but it has since improved to 800 metres.
Rebecca McConochie from Brisbane Airport says there have been delays due to the dust in Sydney.
"Brisbane Airport has not had to turn away any aircraft today, however we have received a number of diversions from other airports such as Sydney, who have experienced significant issues and delays due to the dust storm," she said.

[nosferatu_dj]

Dust settles as storm rolls north

Posted Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:43pm AEST
Updated 4 hours 32 minutes ago

(javascript:slideshowPrev();)
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128804.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128809.jpg) Dirty haze: Brisbane was shrouded in a cloud of dust. (ABC: Daniel Franklin)



Video: Dust storm hits Sydney (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441133_2128919.asx)
Video: Dust enthusiasts fire up web (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441129_2128882.asx)
Video: Dust settles across Qld (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441147_2129024.asx)
Video: Weather specialist discusses Sydney's dust storm (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441135_2128935.asx)
Video: Sydney's dust storm blankets the internet (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441207_2129498.asx)
Audio: Dust storms blankets eastern Australia (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090923-pm-04-dust-up.mp3)



Sydney and Brisbane have woken up to clear skies after an intense dust storm swept up the east coast yesterday, causing traffic chaos and leading to health concerns.
The spectacular blanket of orange and yellow pollution cloaked parts of New South Wales and Queensland and showed as a massive cloud on satellite photos from space.
The dust storm also hampered firefighting efforts in Queensland, where more than 20 blazes raged around Brisbane.
Weather bureau forecaster Brett Harrison says there will still be a bit of haze around tomorrow, but nowhere near as much as today, as the dust storm continues its push north.
"The dust has begun to clear significantly in the last couple of hours, the visibility is now at seven kilometres," he said last night.
Emergency services have been on high alert, with hundreds of calls from people suffering breathing problems.
"We've had joggers come in, fit young men and women who have just had real trouble breathing and we've had to treat them," said Professor Gordian Fulde of St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.
People in Brisbane used scarfs and tissues to protect themselves from the dust, while one hardware store in the city's CBD handed out about 600 face masks in 40 minutes.
Travel chaos

The worst dust storm in 70 years threw the plans of commuters and travellers into chaos.
A man was rescued from the Simpson Desert near Birdsville in Queensland after his car overturned in the storm.
Police say Victorian man John White was driving west near the borders of Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia when a sand dune collapsed under his car.
Birdsville Senior Constable Neale McShane says the 63-year-old managed to climb out of the car and set off a distress beacon.
"The conditions were absolutely atrocious out there," he said.
"He went up a sandhill and due to the poor visibility or virtually nil visibility he went down a deep crevice and the vehicle overturned.
"He was starting to get buried when we got there and we were there probably an hour and a half, two hours and you could actually see the sand rising just in the time that we were there."
In New South Wales, one resident said the town traffic lights were showing "amber, amber, amber".
School was still on but morning Sydney ferries and flights were delayed and cancelled.
"Six international flights were cancelled. The diverted flights have progressively returned to Sydney and we are getting departure delays for international flights of up to six hours," Sydney airport spokesman Rod Gilmour said.
"In relation to domestic flights, we've had delays of about up to 180 minutes but things are now operating normally at the airport."
There were also big delays for passengers at Brisbane Airport.
"We were held up for an hour in Emerald and now I've just got to run and get a Jetstar flight to Newcastle," one passenger said.
"I have been delayed by five hours in Cairns and have probably missed the last bus home tonight to Toowoomba," another traveller said.
Down tools

The conditions also forced tens of thousands of construction workers to stop work at dozens of building sites across Sydney.
Brian Parker from the Construction Forestry, Energy and Mining Union says the windy weather created problems.
"With the high winds, it causes a number of problems with the movement of materials [and] cranes operating," he said.
"So with the dust and also the wind, [it] could have contributed to injuries and even fatalities."
Emergency Services and the fire brigade were also kept busy with fallen trees and fire alarms that were triggered by the dust particles.
Off the charts

Chris Eiser from the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change says the pollution readings have been off the charts for much of the day.
"Particles we measured today are the highest we measure since we started monitoring in the 1970s," he said.
"They are certainly far in excess of any levels we measured during bushfires. For example, we're measuring around 15,000 micrograms per cubic metre as a concentration.
"Bushfires would normally get around 500 micrograms per cubic metre and on a normal day that would be anywhere between 10 and 20, so certainly a significant event."
Wind-ravaged earth

It was an event that began hundreds of kilometres inland. Topsoil from the drought-ravaged west of NSW was stripped from the earth and pushed by huge wind gusts to the east.
The haze smothered south-east Queensland, forcing firefighters to temporarily ground water-bombing helicopters.
With climate change a hot topic this week far beyond Australia's shores, experts say extreme dust storms like this could become more frequent.
Dr John Leys from the NSW Department of Environment's Dust Watch division says it looks like dust storms such as this will become more prevalent.
"There has been a report from CSIRO that show that this drought is the first of its type, because we've never had droughts which have been so hot," he said.
"Things like this are going to be more prevalent unless we can improve our land management practices so we can maintain more ground cover, so there is less chance of us all blowing away."

[nosferatu_dj]

Sydney flights get back to normal after dust storm

Posted 24/09/2009

Sydney Airport says it is confident it can avoid delays to flights this morning after yesterday's dust storm disrupted flight plans for thousands of passengers.
Some passengers were forced to wait up to six hours after a number of flights were diverted, delayed or cancelled.
But the airport's general manager of corporate affairs, Rod Gilmour, says the canceled and delayed flights should not cause a problem for people travelling today.
"Obviously there's been some cancellations and there will be some cleaning up to be done, but based on the weather forecasts we've got, we should start with a new clean slate, and things should be returned to normal."

[nosferatu_dj]

Dust storm health threat passes

Posted 24/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440991_2128011.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440991_2128016.jpg) Orange glare: Dust swirls around the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday (ABC: Ryan Lahiff)



Video: Dust storm clouds east coast (7.30 Report) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441161_2129132.asx)
Video: Dust causes transport chaos, health problems (Lateline) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441260_2129910.asx)
Video: Dust adds difficulty for Qld firefighters (ABC News Breakfast) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441302_2130162.asx)
Map: Sydney 2000 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-33.8631&long=151.2043&caption=Sydney%202000)



The New South Wales Health Department says the danger from particle pollution caused by yesterday's dust storm has passed.
Sydney and Brisbane woke up to clear skies this morning after an intense dust storm swept up the east coast, causing traffic chaos and leading to health concerns.
The spectacular blanket of orange and yellow pollution cloaked parts of New South Wales and Queensland and showed as a massive cloud on satellite photos from space.
The department's director of environmental health, Dr Wayne Smith, says people in Sydney can return to their daily routines.
"Today, we don't think there are very many particles out there," he said.
"The rolling average will tell us there should have been, but that's just an artefact from yesterday.
"I'm assured today that the levels are actually quite low in fact, in the good zone, so that means we would have no problem with anyone doing their normal routine - going outside, breathing, and doing their normal vigorous exercise."
New South Wales is continuing to clean up after the storm, with the State Emergency Service still to respond to 200 calls about damage.
The SES received more than 850 calls to damage caused by yesterday's gale-force winds, just over half of them in Sydney.
Emergency Service Minister Steve Whan has applauded the volunteers' hard work.
"The dust was quite spectacular, but didn't in itself cause a lot of damage," he said.
"The wind, though, caused damage to over 400 trees and about 266 roof damage calls.
"So the SES was kept very busy with that and they've still got about 200 remaining to be done, because in many cases they couldn't get onto roofs yesterday because the wind was just too strong."

[nosferatu_dj]

Dust storm reaches Qld's far north

Posted24/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128804.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128809.jpg) Dirty haze: Brisbane was shrouded in a cloud of dust. (ABC: Daniel Franklin)



Video: Dust settles across Qld (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441147_2129024.asx)
Video: Dust storm hits Sydney (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441133_2128919.asx)
Video: Dust enthusiasts fire up web (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441129_2128882.asx)
Video: Weather specialist discusses Sydney's dust storm (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441135_2128935.asx)
Video: Sydney's dust storm blankets the internet (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441207_2129498.asx)
Audio: Dust storms blankets eastern Australia (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090923-pm-04-dust-up.mp3)



The weather bureau says dust that wreaked havoc across parts of New South Wales and Queensland has reached the far north but will not be nearly as severe as it was further south.
The dust could be seen at the Cairns airport shortly after midnight AEST.
Authorities estimate nearly five million tonnes of sediment was moved across several states, reducing visibility to within a few hundred metres.
The weather bureau says the dust storm is a natural phenomenon which has not happened in Queensland for six years.
Public transport was thrown into chaos, there were major delays at airports and medical facilities were swamped with people suffering from asthma.
Hospitals and medical centres reported high numbers of people presenting with asthma-like symptoms.
Weather bureau forecaster Cath Christensen says the dust, combined with smoke that blew in from fires across the region, will create hazy conditions in Cairns for most of today.
She says conditions should clear later in the day as south-easterly winds pick up.
"It's reducing our visibility a little - down at the airport we can just see the city," she said.
"It's been fluctuating a bit but it looks like it's not going to get a great deal worse than it is now.
"We're expecting it to hang around though, so for most of the morning, and into the afternoon, and then it should start to clear up."
South-east clean-up

Meanwhile, the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) is relaxing restrictions in the south-east to allow residents and businesses to clean up after the dust storms.
The QWC acting chief executive officer, Daniel Spiller, says this weekend people in the south-east can use water outside their allocated days and times.
"This has been an extraordinary event which has caked a lot of the south-east in dust," he said.
"We think it is only reasonable that residents and industry are able to use a bit of water to clean up.
"The Commission will make a special exemption which will involve one and possibly two wet weekends so people can wash their houses and cars.
"We have got to put in place a gazette notice and put some details in place first [but] we still urge people to use only what they need."

[nosferatu_dj]

Dust storm cost NSW millions

Posted 24/09/2009

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440991_2128011.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440991_2128016.jpg) Costly: Dust swirls around the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday (ABC: Ryan Lahiff)



Video: Dust causes transport chaos, health problems (Lateline) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441260_2129910.asx)
Video: The science behind dust storms (ABC News Breakfast) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441392_2130644.asx)
Audio: Dust storms blankets eastern Australia (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090923-pm-04-dust-up.mp3)



Yesterday's dust storm is estimated to have cost New South Wales tens of millions of dollars.
Sydney and Brisbane woke up to clear skies this morning after choking under an orange glare yesterday as the intense dust storm swept up the east coast.
This morning health experts said the danger from particle pollution had passed but New South Wales is expected to be counting the cost of lost productivity for weeks.
"When the environment is such that it's not healthy to work outside, that causes a lot of disruption," Mark Goodsell from the Australian Industry Group said.
"The other major area was just the flow-on effect from having something like the airport shut down.
"People expect to be able to hop on a plane in Melbourne, land in Sydney and be at a meeting by 9 or 10 o'clock. And that didn't happen yesterday so there was a lot of flow-on disruption."
He also pointed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of topsoil in the state's west.
"That's the real story of yesterday, what kind of damage is being done permanently to the rural landscape," he said.
The weather bureau says winds could whip up a smaller dust storm over the weekend.
Meanwhile, SES volunteers are still hard at work, responding to 200 outstanding calls about wind damage.
They received more than 850 calls in total, just over half of them in Sydney.
Emergency Service Minister Steve Whan has applauded the volunteers' hard work.
"The dust was quite spectacular, but didn't in itself cause a lot of damage," he said. "The wind, though, caused damage to over 400 trees and about 266 roof damage calls.
"So the SES was kept very busy with that and they've still got about 200 remaining to be done, because in many cases they couldn't get onto roofs yesterday because the wind was just too strong."

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2694809.htm?section=justin

'Radioactive dust storm threat' if mine goes ahead

Posted 24/09/2009


An Academy Award-nominated documentary maker claims the red dust dumped onto east coast cities yesterday is a reason to be concerned about BHP Billiton's proposal to turn South Australia's Olympic Dam uranium mine into an open-cut mine.
David Bradbury has made four documentaries on the nuclear issue and says figures in the company's environmental impact study suggest that 70 million tonnes of radioactive tailings will be dumped at the minesite each year.
He says these tailings contain alpha radiation, which is known to be carcenogenic to humans and animals.
"My grave concern is that with the open-cut mine expansion that BHP Billiton wants permission from state and federal governments to go ahead with, that the radioactive tailings left behind will blow over the eastern coast centres of the most populated cities of Australia," he said.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/article/2009-09/when-did-we-have-colony-mars

Since When Did We Have a Colony On Mars? (http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/article/2009-09/when-did-we-have-colony-mars)


By John Mahoney (http://www.popsci.com.au/category/popsci-authors/john-mahoney) Posted 24.09.2009 at 4:30 am 0 Comments (http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/article/2009-09/when-did-we-have-colony-mars?page=#comments)

http://www.popsci.com.au/files/imagecache/article_image_large/files/articles/duststorm-bridge-525.jpgSydney Dust Storm: Gavin Marchio/Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gm_studio/3945391015/)

That's what it looks like, doesn't it? In reality this is Sydney, Australia, Earth, shrouded in a severe dust storm that has covered much of the country's eastern coast for the last few days. And while breathing is hard and transportation has ground to a standstill, the photos are spectacular. Dust storms are common in Australia's central desert, the "Red Center," but rarely are they blown eastward toward the coastal cities.
To put the density in perspective, air pollution levels have been measured at 15,500 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter of atmosphere. Compare that to a 10-20 microgram density on a normal, clear day and 300-500 micrograms per cubic meter in a brush fire's heavy smoke.
Elsewhere in Australia, the seemingly apocalyptic conditions aren't just limited to a red sky--earthquakes, hailstorms and bushfires have struck various sites on the eastern coast.
http://www.popsci.com.au/files/imagecache/article_image_large/files/articles/duststorm-before-after-525.jpgSydney Dust Storm Before and After: Jujuly25/Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jujuly25/3947642558/)

[limelady]

Oh hell.....this really isn't good! :eek: :(

Thanks for keeping us up to date with your posts nosferatu_dj. :)

[i_am]

It was really quite funny this morning. Nearly all the cars on the road and in the shopping centre car parks were covered in red dust.

Just the red centre sharing :p

[nosferatu_dj]

Oh hell.....this really isn't good! :eek: :(

Thanks for keeping us up to date with your posts nosferatu_dj. :)

no problem at all... yeah i am glad i wasnt caught up in it all... as of yet that is. wonder when the next one will hit?.

It was really quite funny this morning. Nearly all the cars on the road and in the shopping centre car parks were covered in red dust.

Just the red centre sharing :p

yup just mother nature displaceing dirt around, she is kind huh :p

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/chinese-dust-cloud-circled-globe-two-weeks.php
Chinese Dust Cloud Circled the Globe in Two Weeks (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/chinese-dust-cloud-circled-globe-two-weeks.php)

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY (http://www.treehugger.com/authors/index.php?author=alexp) http://www.treehugger.com/images_site/feed-icon-10x10.png (http://www.treehugger.com/feeds/authors/alexp.xml) on 07.21.09


http://www.treehugger.com/china-dust-storm-cloud-gallagher.jpg
Sean Gallagher (http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/chinas-growing-sands/)
Growing Deserts, Growing Dust Storms
Carbon dioxide emitted in China raises carbon dioxide levels everywhere (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/no-way-stabilize-co2-without-tacking-coal-emissions-mit-study.php). Dust and particulate pollution tends to have its greatest impacts locally, but it can cast a wide net too (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/mercury_from_ch_1.php).
New research (http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56J3YH20090720?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews) on a massive 2007 dust storm (http://china.org.cn/english/environment/201256.htm)that began in the Taklimakan desert of Xinjiang, reveals a cloud of dust that took an unusual flight around the globe, passing over the United States, Europe and Asia before returning to the Pacific Ocean, where it deposited some of its dust and minerals into the sea.
Like the Atmospheric Brown Cloud (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/giant-smog-cloud-blocking-sun-asia-cities-un.php), such massive dust clouds don't just travel the Earth, spilling their pollution on distant ecosystems. They also serve to dim the sun, hurt road visibility, and abet and conceal the effects of climate change.
How the Cloud Started, and Where It's Going
Unfortunately, China's dust clouds appear to be growing bigger due to desertification -- a fact that goes unmentioned in reports on the Japanese cloud study.
As Matt noted last year, China, which is roughly the same size as the United States, is almost one-quarter desert, and the desert is advancing at more than 1,300 square miles (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/chinese-desrtification-spreads-1300-square-miles-annually.php). That's approximately the size of the state of Rhode Island, each year.
Despite attempts to stem the spread of sand with programs seeking to lower the impact of cashmere farming (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/china_cashmere.php), or build great green walls (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/tarim-basin-longest-highway-green-belt.php), the desert continues to spread thanks to unsustainable farming practices and the effects of climate change.
The Study's Findings
Reports Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56J3YH20090720?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews):
In a paper published in Nature Geoscience (http://www.nature.com/ngeo/index.html), scientists described how they used a NASA satellite and mathematical modeling to track and measure the movement of the dust cloud, which formed after the dust storm on May 8-9 in 2007. The researchers, led by Uno, found that the dust clouds were lifted 8-10 km (5-6 miles) above the earth's surface, and transported more than one full circle around the earth.
"The most important achievement is that we tracked this through one full circuit round the globe, nobody has done this before. After half a circuit, usually the dust concentration gets very low and you can't track it," Uno told Reuters.
"This means that dust concentration, dust lifetime is very long, more than two weeks."
To put their observation in perspective, a 2003 Columbia University study that examined a dust cloud from the Taklimakan desert in 1990 found that the dust mostly traveled (only) as far as France, (http://www.earth.columbia.edu/news/2003/story05-16-03.html)ending its journey after two weeks.
How It Traveled
The 2007 dust cloud, which weighed about 800,000 tons (wow) measured about 3 km vertically and up to 2,000 miles horizontally, maintained its shape and scale even after one full trip around the globe -- over the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic, Europe and Asia.
That's because the cloud rode the Tibetan plateau upwards to 5,000 meters, where a warm convection flow then carried the dust to a jetstream that took it on a fairly stable round-the-world atmospheric journey, between 8,000 and 10,000 meters high.
On its second trip around the globe, researchers say that some of the dust landed on the northwest Pacific due to an abrupt change in a high-pressure weather system, while yet more may have fallen in the Mid-Atlantic and Balkans.
http://www.treehugger.com/taklimakan-desert-dust-cloud-circles-earth.jpg
Photo of a Taklimakan desert dust cloud from the NASA Aqua satellite
Silver Lining to the Brown Cloud?
The purpose of the study, was to examine the importance of airborne dust particles in forming high altitude cirrus clouds and reflecting sunlight, thus potentially easing global warming.
The UN doesn't call it "easing" global warming: it's more like a giant shield, masking the effects of global warming.
"One of the impacts of this atmospheric brown cloud has been to mask the true nature of global warming on our planet," United Nations Environment Program head Achim Steiner said last year, (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/giant-smog-cloud-blocking-sun-asia-cities-un.php)after a report on the larger, scarier Atmospheric Brown Cloud.
In certain locations, however, an increase of dust or soot from factories or forest fires can blanket ice and snow with a heat-absorbent black layer, accelerating a thaw.
Still, posit the researchers, the mineral-rich dust from the Taklimakan may also be nourishing the waters of the North Pacific, depositing iron that feeds phytoplankton, the microscopic marine plants that are the first link in the oceanic food chain.
Much more study remains to be done, both on the formation and lifespan of such clouds, and on their connections to climate change.
The next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090717/tsc-environment-us-climate-report-011ccfa.html)report will look closer at clouds and the effects of dust and aerosols on the climate.

[i_am]

For the member who asked is it as red as it looks :)

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1820/2884651370f7a5952e5d.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/2884651370f7a5952e5d.jpg/)

This is the red centre, where it originated from

The road to yeundumu 300 kms north west of Alice springs. My daughter was there when the dust storm hit. I imagine it picked up momentum and much more dust as it travelled to the Eastern states. It is extremely dry out there.

[limelady]

For the member who asked is it as red as it looks :)

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1820/2884651370f7a5952e5d.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/2884651370f7a5952e5d.jpg/)

This is the red centre, where it originated from

The road to yeundumu 300 kms north west of Alice springs. My daughter was there when the dust storm hit. I imagine it picked up momentum and much more dust as it travelled to the Eastern states. It is extremely dry out there.

Yes.....and the red looks awesome 'out back' there were it belongs, but it doesn't look so great when it engulfs entire cities! :eek:

A bit of rain round the wonderful place we call 'home' (particularly the outback) wouldn't go a miss about now huh?

[i_am]

They have actually had a bit of rain but it is too dry for the occasional storm to help :(

[nosferatu_dj]

Residents evacuated as bushfire rages

Posted 24/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058693.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r430333_2058698.jpg) Crews say the fire is moving quickly and they are having difficulty controlling it. (Qld Fire and Rescue Service)



Video: Wild weather plagues Qld (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441145_2129008.asx)
Map: Mount Fox 4850 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-18.8167&long=145.8500&caption=Mount%20Fox%204850)
Related Story: Fire bans extended as Qld bushfires rage on (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2695168.htm)
Related Story: House lost as more bushfires flare across Qld (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2694869.htm)



A bushfire has forced an emergency evacuation of homes west of Ingham in north Queensland.
A large grassfire is threatening about 20 homes at Mount Fox, north of Townsville.
Residents have been asked to leave their properties and shelter at a local school.
Queensland Fire Service spokeswoman Lisa Martin says the fire is moving quickly and crews are having difficulty controlling it.
"Basically we're just telling people to get out of Mount Fox at the moment because there is a large fire threatening the area and the safest option is to leave," she said.
Authorities are warning embers are being thrown from the blaze and spot fires may break out ahead of the fire front.
Meanwhile firefighters are continuing to battle several other grass fires in other parts of the state.
More than five crews are trying to control a blaze near Tolga on the Atherton Tablelands, which forced the evacuation of occupants from a nearby caravan site.
Authorities have shut parts of the Kennedy Highway.
A fire at Oaky Creek, south-west of Brisbane, is now burning within containment lines and no homes are at risk.
Several crews and a water bombing helicopter are fighting a blaze north of Gin Gin in the Burnett.
And authorities are closely watching grass fires at Blackbutt - in the South Burnett - and at Calcium, south of Townsville.
A fire ban was to end tonight but has been extended until midnight AEST on Monday.

[nosferatu_dj]

More dust to hit Queensland over weekend

Posted 24/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128804.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128809.jpg) Dirty haze: Brisbane was shrouded in a cloud of dust yesterday. (ABC: Daniel Franklin)



Video: Wild weather plagues Qld (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441145_2129008.asx)
Audio: Dust storms blankets eastern Australia (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090923-pm-04-dust-up.mp3)



The weather bureau says a dust storm forecast for Queensland this weekend will not be as intense as yesterday's.
Sydney and Brisbane woken up to clear skies after the intense dust storm swept up the east coast yesterday, causing traffic chaos and leading to health concerns.
The spectacular blanket of orange and yellow pollution cloaked parts of New South Wales and Queensland and showed as a massive cloud on satellite photos from space.
The dust storm also hampered firefighting efforts in Queensland
Senior forecaster Gavin Holcombe says strong winds are expected over New South Wales and western Queensland from tomorrow night which could whip up more dust.
But he says it will not be a repeat of yesterday because the wind speeds will be lower and much of the loose topsoil has already been removed.
"There's a lot of dust out over central Australia and probably over western Queensland and New South Wales," he said.
"As a result if you've got the stronger winds around, they're obviously going to lift that dust and bring it across.
"But if the winds aren't as strong, they're not going to lift as much dust."
'Wet week' clean up

Meanwhile, water restrictions will be eased for nine days in south-east Queensland so residents can clean up the mess left by yesterday's dust storm.
The so-called 'wet week' will begin at midnight AEST tomorrow night and continue until midnight on Sunday October 4.
Acting Premier Paul Lucas says trigger hoses and pressure hoses can be used to wash cars, houses, decks, boats and other outdoor equipment during the period.
The region's combined dam level is at 75 per cent and Mr Lucas says he does not expect a big spike in water use.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696441.htm?section=justin

Big red hits NZ as dust storm crosses Tasman

By New Zealand correspondent Kerri Ritchie
Posted Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:00pm AEST
Updated Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:14pm AEST


Video: Sydney chokes on dust storm (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441131_2128903.asx)
Video: Queensland cops a dusting (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441119_2128816.asx)
Related Story: Dust storm cost NSW millions (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2694988.htm)
Related Story: Truckloads of dust ripped from barren land (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694419.htm)
Related Story: Dust settles as storm rolls north (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694705.htm)



The red dust which hit vast areas of eastern Australia on Wednesday has travelled right across the Tasman.
The dust has been detected in Auckland, meaning it travelled 2,160 kilometres across the Tasman.
New Zealand Met service forecaster Chris Noble says most of the dust fell overnight.
"It's not very thick," he said. "The reports have been that people have seen it on their cars and their windscreens.
"Most of that dust has now been carried to the east of the country, as that front has moved away out into the Pacific Ocean.
"Most of the dust has fallen out of the sky and that's probably the last of it now."
Mr Noble says many New Zealanders reported this morning that the sunrise was more red than usual.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2697022.htm?section=justin

Sydney may face second dust storm

By Kirsten Aiken for PM and staff

(http://www.abc.net.au/pm/)
Posted Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:00pm AEST


http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440715_2126047.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440715_2126052.jpg) I see red, I see red, I see red: The view in Sydney on Wednesday. (ABC News: Nick Dole)



Video: Sydney chokes on dust storm (7pm TV News NSW) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441131_2128903.asx)
Video: Queensland cops a dusting (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441119_2128816.asx)
Video: From desert bloom to dust (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441847_2133434.asx)
Audio: Fears that dust storm could hold radioactive material (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090925-PM4-more-dust.mp3)
Map: Sydney 2000 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-33.8631&long=151.2043&caption=Sydney%202000)
Related Story: Big red hits NZ as dust storm crosses Tasman (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696441.htm)
Related Story: Dust storm cost NSW millions (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2694988.htm)
Related Story: Truckloads of dust ripped from barren land (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694419.htm)
Related Story: Dust settles as storm rolls north (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2694705.htm)



Dust storms are again moving across parts of New South Wales from South Australia, as Sydney residents are warned they may face more storms later today.
Parts of western New South Wales are experiencing dust storms, which are expected to reach the coast early this morning.
Dust is moving through the Riverina in southern New South Wales.
BJ Wyse from Young says he can taste the dust in his house.
"Standing outside my place now looking at the clock tower, it's about half a kilometre away," he said.
"You can just see it with the thickness of it, you can just see the town lights it's just like a red glow.
"I just talked to a friend of mine in Cootamundra and it's going through there as well, so yep it's back again."
Massive clouds of dust are now blowing eastward through the state, where some regions are reporting visibility has dropped below 300 metres.
Barry Hanstrum from the Bureau of Meteorology says it is too early to predict exactly which areas will be affected, but he says it will not be as windy or as dusty as Wednesday.
"Wednesday morning's dust storm was an extraordinary event," he said.
"The winds we're seeing today aren't as strong as we saw on Tuesday and the area covered by these winds isn't as large.
"So while there's a reasonable likelihood of dust being in the Sydney area [on Saturday], it's unlikely to be as bad as what we saw on Wednesday."
Dr Wayne Smith from New South Wales Health says the department will issue health alerts if necessary.
"We're encouraging people to really check the weather reports on the radio and on the television," he said.
"Check the environment and climate change website for health warnings from particles. If they are clear on those then it should be safe for children to have outdoor activity."
On Wednesday, Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn after strong north-westerly winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the harbour city, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the state's west.
Hours later the dust cleared from Sydney and arrived in Brisbane, hampering firefighting efforts in southern Queensland by temporarily grounding water bombing helicopters.
The poor visibility hampered transport across the affected regions, slowed traffic and caused long delays at airports.
Emergency services received hundreds of phone calls from people with breathing difficulties.
For many, the clean-up continues.
Radioactive dust?

It is this type of weather event that award-winning documentary-maker David Bradbury claims could pose enormous health and environmental risks to a large proportion of the population, unless BHP Billiton contains radioactive dust from the planned expansion of its Olympic Dam mine.
"Given the dust storms of this week, which ABC TV news said originated from Woomera, which is right next door to Olympic dam Roxby, they could blow those tailings across the face of Australia," he said.
"The prevailing winds traditionally go east and, as we saw dramatically this week, [they] dump on our dense population centres.
"It will have much more major impacts than the James Hardie asbestos fallout that we've had over the last 40 or 50 years."
But a leading environmental toxicologist believes Bradbury's concerns are misplaced.
Associate Professor Barry Noller, from the University of Queensland's Centre of Mineland Rehabilitation, says that dust from metal and uranium mine sites is too large to be carried by the wind over long distances.
"In a big dust storm like we saw during the week, the dust is not going to come from one isolated site - it's going to be mixed in with dust from a whole huge area and diluted considerably," he said.
A spokesman for BHP Billiton says while the company is not prepared to debate the issue of dust, BHP Billiton does manage dust at its other Australian mine sites through extensive monitoring programs.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2697215.htm?section=justin

Dust storm makes its way west

Posted Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:00pm AEST

The weather bureau says the second dust storm this week has begun moving across south-west Queensland.
The latest storm began in South Australia and is blowing dust across north-west New South Wales.
Senior forecaster Ben Annals says visibility in Broken Hill has been cut to less than one kilometre.
He says it is not expected to be as bad as Wednesday's storm.
"We would expect that we'd be seeing reduced visibility due to that dust coming into the Channel country, if not already, then very soon," he said.
"We have had some reports unofficially of there being dust around those regions already."
On Wednesday, Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn after strong north-westerly winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the harbour city, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the state's west.
Hours later the dust cleared from Sydney and arrived in Brisbane, hampering firefighting efforts in southern
Queensland by temporarily grounding water bombing helicopters.
The poor visibility hampered transport across the affected regions, slowed traffic and caused long delays at airports.
Emergency services received hundreds of phone calls from people with breathing difficulties.

For many, the clean-up continues.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/26/2697261.htm?section=justin

It's back: more dust blankets east coast

Posted 26/09/2009

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r442791_2139774.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r442791_2139779.jpg) Dust to dust: Sydney landmarks have been covered again. (AAP : John Pryke)



Video: More dust smothers Sydney (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r442789_2139759.asx)
Video: Qld braces for second dust storm (7pm TV News QLD) (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r442584_2138293.asx)
Audio: Fears that dust storm could hold radioactive material (PM) (http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/pm/200909/20090925-PM4-more-dust.mp3)



The second dust storm in a week has blanketed much of New South Wales and Queensland's south-west.
High winds have blown huge dust clouds from South Australia since yesterday afternoon.
In Cunnumulla, in Queensland's south-west, visibility is down to 500 metres, but the weather bureau says the storm is expected to disperse as it heads east.
Flights are not expected to be affected.
The dust is also sweeping through parts of western and central New South Wales, including Sydney.
But forecasters say the impact on the NSW capital is unlikely to be as bad as the storm on Wednesday, which bathed the city in red, orange and yellow hues.
Visibility has been reduced and is likely to stay that way for a couple of hours, but the area of dust seems much smaller, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said.
Health authorities are warning people to exercise caution and monitor weather reports.
They are advising asthmatics to avoid exercising outdoors in the morning.
At Young in New South Wales' south-west, resident BJ Wyse says he can taste the dust in his house.
"Standing outside my place now looking at the clock tower, it's about half a kilometre away. You can just see it, with the thickness of it, you can just see the town lights," he said.
"It's just like a red glow. I just talked to a friend of mine in Cootamundra and it's going through there as well, so yep, it's back again."
On Wednesday, Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn after strong north-westerly winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the harbour city, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the state's west.
Hours later the dust cleared from Sydney and arrived in Brisbane, hampering firefighting efforts in southern Queensland by temporarily grounding water bombing helicopters.
The poor visibility affected transport across the affected regions, slowing traffic and causing long delays at airports.
Emergency services received hundreds of phone calls from people with breathing difficulties.
The New South Wales Health Department is advising residents to check the Environment and Climate Change website (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/) for health warnings and to monitor weather reports.

[nosferatu_dj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/26/2697277.htm?section=justin

Brisbane holds breath as dust sweeps in

Posted 26/09/2009
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128804.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r441118_2128809.jpg) Dust choked the city on Wednesday. (ABC: Daniel Franklin)




The weather bureau is using satellite imagery to monitor another dust storm which has hit south-west Queensland this morning.
Visibility at Cunnumulla and Charleville has been reduced to 500 metres.
Forecaster Michelle Berry says the dust is not expected to be as disruptive in the south-east as the storm earlier this week, which brought airports to a standstill.
"We're not really expecting that dust to reach the coast with the same intensity as it did on Wednesday - it should start to disperse a bit as it approaches," she said.
"So I certainly think we'll see a bit of dust haze around at the time of the change and that change is scheduled to reach the Brisbane area this evening."
The dust is also sweeping through parts of western and central New South Wales, where a resident at Young in the Riverina, BJ Wyse, says he can taste the dust in his house.
"Standing outside my place now looking at the clock tower, it's about half a kilometre away. You can just see it, with the thickness of it, you can just see the town lights," he said.
"It's just like a red glow. I just talked to a friend of mine in Cootamundra and it's going through there as well, so yep, it's back again."
On Wednesday, Sydney awoke to an eerie red dawn after strong north-westerly winds dumped thousands of tonnes of dust on the harbour city, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong and the state's west.
Hours later the dust cleared from Sydney and arrived in Brisbane, hampering firefighting efforts in southern Queensland by temporarily grounding water bombing helicopters.
The poor visibility affected transport across the affected regions, slowing traffic and causing long delays at airports.
Emergency services received hundreds of phone calls from people with breathing difficulties.

[nosferatu_dj]

Dust haze heads up Queensland coast

Posted Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:19am AEST


http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440984_2127959.jpg (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200909/r440984_2127964.jpg) The dust storm that hit overnight was not as bad as the one that blanketed Brisbane on Wednesday. (ABC: Tim Leslie)




The weather bureau says the dust haze across south-east Queensland is gradually easing.
It was the second dust storm in four days - but not as severe as Wednesday's storm which was considered one of the worst in decades.
Forecaster Bryan Rolstone says it was at its worst when a change went through last night.
"At the moment the horizontal visibility just about everywhere is 10 kilometres but last night, when the change went through, it was down to 1,000 metres," he said.
"That was the lowest point and it's been gradually rising since then. That was associated with a trough wind change that went through in the evening.
"At the moment it's moving up the central coast, taking the haze with it."

[limelady]

Hope its all over.

I guess its just the clean-up to deal with now?