Sorry Guys, Sydney Isn’t Going To Be Engulfed In a Dust Stormpocalypse Any Time Soon

This morning, Fairfax, The Daily Mail and even Nova 969 published reports speculating that a large dust storm could hit Sydney in the coming days, just like the Great Dust Storm of 2009.

It all kicked off with a Fairfax article titled ‘Sand-blasted: Large dust storm may hit Sydney ahead of cold front’. It reported that while “it is too early to predict anything like the big dust storm that hit Sydney in September 2009, Wednesday’s winds could be a forecast of a dusty spring to come.”

But according to Bureau of Meteorologist expert David Wilke, there isn’t much to glean from claims that the dust storm could reach Sydney.

“The article in the Sydney Morning Herald was a bit sensationalised,” Wilke told Junkee. “We have really no expectation of a big dust storm in Sydney. There are quite dry conditions around the states — we’re obviously in a drought — and some dust has moved around and lifted particularly when it’s windy. But we are not expecting anything in Sydney.”

Wilke said that you would need a “pretty significant system” to get the type of dust storm that Sydney received back in 2009, and that the signs just weren’t there this time around.

That being said, if circumstances do change, look after your asthmatic friends.

“Fine dust particles can irritate lungs, so it’s wise for people in the affected areas in western NSW to stay indoors,” a spokesperson for NSW Health said about the potential for a dust storm.

“People with chronic heart and lung conditions who develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, should follow their Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Action Plan.”

So stay safe out there we guess?