Dust Storm in Brisbane

The dust storm which blanketed Brisbane on 23 September 2009 was caused by extremely strong winds over South Australia and inland New South Wales after a long period of drought. The winds lifted the dust and soil from the dry ground and took the particles thousands of kilometres through the air, first coating Sydney and then on to Brisbane. It was estimated that, when the storm was at its strongest, about 16,000 tonnes of dirt was dropped on SE Queensland every hour.