Canberra has avoided the worst of a major dust storm that threatened to sweep through the ACT on Thursday, as a vigorous cold front continues to bring an extreme mix of weather to Australia's east coast.
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Canberrans woke to dust hanging over the capital on Thursday, after more than 22 millimetres of rain fell overnight. Most of that fell between 2 and 4am.
The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting a dust storm to hit the city on Thursday afternoon, as forecast winds of up to 55 kilometres per hour threatened to blow dry soil from drought-affected areas in NSW into Canberra.
Towns in outback NSW were blanketed in red soil on Tuesday and Wednesday, as a large storm cell moved across the region.
The bureau's NSW/ACT duty forecaster Anita Pyne said the predicted storm event never eventuated in Canberra, with rain washing away most of the sediment that settled over the capital on Thursday morning.
"The worst of it came in the morning," Ms Pyne said of the dust.
"There was a red tinge in the sky, and there were reports of people waking up with a layer of dust on their cars. The saving grace for Canberra was the rain it received."
The dusty storm cell - which stretches more than 500 kilometres - pushed into Sydney on Thursday morning, evoking memories of a 2009 storm that cast an orange hue over the harbour city. Low visibility was reported across the eastern suburbs and in western Sydney.
The conditions prompted authorities in NSW and the ACT to issue health warnings, with asthma sufferers urged to remain indoors with the doors closed.
Airlines were forced to cancel a number of flights in and out of Canberra on Thursday morning due to poor weather conditions at east coast airports.
Ms Pyne said this week's storm event was part of a "quite vigorous" cold front, which had also brought an unseasonal dumping of snow in the alpine region.
Snow was reported in Mount Ginini, in the Brindabella Ranges, while Perisher ski resort recieved a large dump on Thursday morning. More snow was expected to fall at Perisher and Thredbo over the weekend.
Public Health physician Dr Vanessa Johnston said dust storms could significantly reduce air quality and people who had respiratory conditions should take precautions.
“Anyone can experience health effects from dust storms, but particularly those who have pre-existing conditions like asthma,” Dr Johnston said.
“The most common symptoms experienced during a dust storm are irritation to the eyes and upper airways, and the longer you are exposed, the greater the chance that it will have an effect.
“That’s why, people who are vulnerable should be vigilant for exacerbations in their condition and avoid exposure to higher levels of dust where possible."
