2009 Sydney dust storm
The 2009 Sydney Dust Storm was a storm generated by a low pressure system across south eastern Australian. The storm was largely made up from red sand and dust partials commonly found in central Australia.
The storm hit Sydney in the early hours [1] of Wednesday, 23rd September 2009, and was mostly dissipated by 1PM.
Disruptions on the city
Disruptions occurred to some areas of public transport, particularly public ferries that stopped operating due to the lack of visibility. Numerous flights in and out of Sydney were disrupted too. Flights into Sydney were diverted to Brisbane and Melbourne and outgoing flights were delayed until further notice.
As well as transport being effected, numerous reporting of smoke alarms reacting to the thick dust. Superintendent Warwick Kidd says crews in Sydney have had more than 500 call-outs this morning.[2]
As well as false fire alarms, numerous people were having respiratory problems. The ambulance service has received around 140 calls from people having breathing difficulties because of the dust, since the storms began. [2]
The storm later covered much of the eastern coast of Australia.
References
[1] http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/866509/sydney-and-parts-of-nsw-shrouded-in-dust [2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/23/2693643.htm