Why Did the Sky Turn Orange in Newcastle, Australia?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the phenomenon of a dust storm that caused the sky to appear orange in Newcastle, Australia. Participants share their experiences and observations of the storm, its effects on visibility, and its implications for health and safety, as well as the broader context of dust storms in Australia and elsewhere.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe their personal experiences of waking up to an orange sky and the eerie atmosphere it created.
  • Questions are raised about the predictability of dust storms and whether they can be forecasted effectively.
  • Concerns are expressed regarding the health impacts of dust storms, particularly for individuals with respiratory issues, while others suggest that the general population may not face significant hazards.
  • Participants share anecdotes of past dust storms, including a notable event in Melbourne in 1983, highlighting the dramatic changes in light and visibility.
  • There is mention of the commonality of dust storms in certain regions and the unusual nature of them reaching major urban centers like Sydney and Melbourne.
  • Some participants discuss the causes of dust storms, attributing them to high winds and specific weather conditions that allow for long-distance travel of dust.
  • One participant humorously notes that Australian outback dust contains a small amount of Vitamin C, although this claim is not elaborated upon.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion reflects a mix of agreement and differing viewpoints. While participants generally agree on the dramatic nature of dust storms and their effects, there is no consensus on the health implications for those without respiratory issues or on the predictability of such events.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specific health risks associated with dust inhalation for healthy individuals and the conditions that lead to the formation and travel of dust storms. There is also a lack of detailed scientific explanation regarding the mechanisms behind dust storms.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals living in or near areas prone to dust storms, meteorology enthusiasts, and those concerned with environmental health and safety.

sylas
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I woke up this morning and the light was freaky! Everything seemed orange. Outside, the sky is pale orange, like fog but the wrong color. Trees a few houses across are fading into the orange ... we've got a dust storm.

I live in Newcastle, a bit north of Sydney. This storm came up last night and apparently covers most of New South Wales, where it has caused a fair bit of chaos. Sydney had it very bad. The dust is now headed for Brisbane -- 1000 kilometers north.

See Sydney turns red: dust storm blankets city at the Sydney Morning Herald for more.

Felicitations -- sylas

miro-sydney-harbour-bridge-600x400.jpg
 
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Yeah that was crazy, the wind woke me up about 6 in the morning and it was blood red outside... scared the hell out of me lol. Its like the apocalypse haha
 
Can these be forecast, or do they just surprise you all of a sudden, with orange-red light in the morning (sounds kind of cool, btw)?

I can imagine people with asthma or other respiratory problems this may be an issue, but does it pose a hazard to people without such problems?
 
lisab said:
Can these be forecast, or do they just surprise you all of a sudden, with orange-red light in the morning (sounds kind of cool, btw)?

I can imagine people with asthma or other respiratory problems this may be an issue, but does it pose a hazard to people without such problems?

It's not really a big hazard; though it's a good idea to stay indoors if you have respiratory problems. It makes everything dirty. I normally put a cover over my car, and so this morning I was thinking... "oh good -- I'm glad I had that cover".

Then I had a look outside and said a bad word. Left the cover off last night. I'll need to wash the car again.

This is the second time I've been in a big duststorm like this. The first time was in Melbourne, in 1983, and that was even bigger. It was like night time, and on that occasion I had no idea at all why it was suddenly pitch black outside at 3 in the afternoon. Most of the dust was up quite high, and it blocked out the Sun like nothing I've seen. It was like an eclipse; but we do know those in advance. When you don't expect it and don't know what is going on, it is scary. Apocalypse automatically comes to mind. Even when you know the cause it still leaves you quite discombobulated at a primal kind of level.

Here's a dramatic shot of the 1983 dust storm rolling in towards Melbourne.
sand_storm.jpg


Cheers -- sylas
 
Sylas, that last picture you posted of the dust storm heading towards Melbourne is incredible.. I've never seen anything like that in my life, didn't even think it occurred outside of hollywood... W-O-W
 
Sorry! said:
Sylas, that last picture you posted of the dust storm heading towards Melbourne is incredible.. I've never seen anything like that in my life, didn't even think it occurred outside of hollywood... W-O-W

Quite. Actually, big storms like this are not unusual. What's unusual is when they get all the way down to big cities like Melbourne or Sydney. In towards the center where they originate they are quite common. You also get big duststorms in plenty of other places around the world; and they are certainly impressive if you can see them coming in. In 1983 I did not see it arriving, unfortunately. I just looked out the office window and noticed it was nighttime already. At 3pm.

The comparison with an apocalypse is inevitable if you aren't used to them; it is really freaky. But it's just dust.

This is fun. Here are some more photos. I've attached thumbnails, and you link to the page for more.

Awesome photos of duststorms in the 1930s in Texas: http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html .
theb1365small.jpg


You still get them: The May 29 2004 duststorm, Kansas.
glddust.JPG


Iraq: Mother of all Dust Storms.
Dust Storm3t.jpg
 
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The pic of the '83 storm reminds me of a Arizona monsoon pic I saw once.

This isn't the one but it gives you an idea...
http://mygallery.eph2810.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/arizona-monsoon.jpg
 
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It scared the crap out of me... Actually, I thought it was really cool :biggrin:

As I tumbled over to change positions in my sleep this morning at 6am, I took a short glance at what seemed like my closed blinds were separating me from some deep orange apocalyptic wasteland. I pulled the blinds and... oh damn it was a dirty orange/red everywhere!
My attention was quickly turned away from this amazing sight when my cat climbed up to the window and was begging to be let in. (maybe he too was superstitious of red skies?).

At 7:30am I tried to search for the sun in the sky - which was quite a difficult task for me as I had no clue which way to search for north/south etc. without a starry night sky, let alone no sky at all - and concluded that this pale blue ball among all the orange was the sun. I hope I didn't mistake this for the moon...?
 
sylas said:
I woke up this morning and the light was freaky! Everything seemed orange. Outside, the sky is pale orange, like fog but the wrong color. Trees a few houses across are fading into the orange ... we've got a dust storm.

I live in Newcastle, a bit north of Sydney. This storm came up last night and apparently covers most of New South Wales, where it has caused a fair bit of chaos. Sydney had it very bad. The dust is now headed for Brisbane -- 1000 kilometers north.

See Sydney turns red: dust storm blankets city at the Sydney Morning Herald for more.
Quite a dust storm. Apparently Brisbane got it too.

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/national/brisbanes-cbd-cloaked-in-dust/20090923-g0x8.html

Such dust isn't good for jet engines.
 
  • #10
lisab said:
I can imagine people with asthma or other respiratory problems this may be an issue, but does it pose a hazard to people without such problems?
I don't think it's ever good to breathe in dust, but if they wear a dust mask outside, unless there's something special about Brisbane dust, it would probably be okay.

I should go buy stock in whatever kinds of filters they use for A/C and furnaces in Australia! Everyone will need to replace those very soon!
 
  • #11
All the pictures I've seen make Sydney look like Mars!

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7549/lydia20cole20toowoomba2.jpg
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/4118/117988mainimagefeature3.jpg
 
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  • #12
sylas said:
Quite. Actually, big storms like this are not unusual. What's unusual is when they get all the way down to big cities like Melbourne or Sydney. In towards the center where they originate they are quite common. You also get big duststorms in plenty of other places around the world; and they are certainly impressive if you can see them coming in. In 1983 I did not see it arriving, unfortunately. I just looked out the office window and noticed it was nighttime already. At 3pm.

The comparison with an apocalypse is inevitable if you aren't used to them; it is really freaky. But it's just dust.

This is fun. Here are some more photos. I've attached thumbnails, and you link to the page for more.

Awesome photos of duststorms in the 1930s in Texas: http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html .
View attachment 20666

You still get them: The May 29 2004 duststorm, Kansas.
View attachment 20668

Iraq: Mother of all Dust Storms.
View attachment 20667

What causes them just highwinds? I guess its similar to a whiteout around where I live (sometimes these occur with no snow storms occurring lol)
 
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  • #13
Sorry! said:
What causes them just highwinds? I guess its similar to a whiteout around where I live (sometimes these occur with no snow storms occurring lol)

The wikipedia seems to have a good introduction to the Causes of Dust Storms. Basically, yes. High winds. What was unusual in the recent Australian event was not just the high wind, but the weather conditions which allowed the storm to travel thousands of kilometers and reach the big urban centers.
 
  • #14
If you must know Almost all the outback dust in Australia contains a small amount of Vitamin C.
 
  • #15
Rohan11221 said:
If you must know Almost all the outback dust in Australia contains a small amount of Vitamin C.
and iron.
 

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