Red dust cloud sweeps Australia

A dust cloud swept across eastern Australia today, dumping fine red powder on towns throughout the region.

The storm was whipped up yesterday in central Australia from fields baked dry by months of drought and carried east by a cold front.

As the dust moved over more than 600 miles towards the coast today, it hit the towns of Dubbo, Orange, Nowra and finally parts of Sydney, depositing a fine layer of red powder along with a light smattering of rain on Australia’s most populous city.

Robyn Mossman, president of a conservation society in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, said she noticed an unusual atmosphere as the storm passed.