The murky sky you've noticed across the ACT was dust and not smoke, according to the territory's Emergency Services Agency.
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On Thursday evening, the agency took the step of reassuring the public that the unusually dark sky was not because of any fires burning but simply dust churned up by the high winds.
There had been calls from people worried that fires were close to them.
"Currently, there are no active grass or bushfires in the ACT," it said at dusk.
"The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting the potential for increased dust overnight and tomorrow."
The statement said that health authorities would be monitoring the dust situation over the next few days in case it reaches dangerous levels for some people.
There's been a total fire ban since midnight on Wednesday night but that was due to expire at midnight on Thursday night as maximum temperatures fell from the upper 30s to the lower 30s for Friday and the weekend.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
