“There is an elevated risk across inland areas of Port Phillip Bay, including Geelong, St Kilda and the Mornington Peninsula,” the SES said in a statement.
“Damaging winds are expected in Geelong by 6pm, and St Kilda and the Mornington Peninsula by 7pm. It should clear by 8pm. Severe thunderstorms may also form.”
A third alert is warning people across coastal Victoria of “abnormally high tides”.
“[These] may lead to seawater flooding of low-lying areas of the Victorian coast. The highest tides are expected for Tuesday,” the SES said.
A wave of Orange
The Bureau of Meteorology said dry conditions were behind Monday’s dust storm in the tri-state area.
The dust storm arrived in Mildura in the mid-afternoon.Credit: Lisa Cooper
Photos and videos taken at Mildura on Monday afternoon depict a wave of orange engulfing the inland city, while the weather bureau reported wind gusts of 70km/h in western Victoria.
The State Control Centre first warned residents of the Mallee to expect dust storms from South Australia about midday.
In a statement on Monday night, the bureau said “a dust storm at this time of year is unusual for South Australia, which usually experiences dust storms in summer”.
The bureau said the dust had reduced visibility to 500 metres in some parts of Victoria and NSW, and reached as far as Swan Hill and Bendigo.
“With the winds showing no sign of easing, other parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW may see similar conditions during the next few hours,” it said.
Much of western Victoria and eastern South Australia have seen below-average rainfall for the past two years.
Images of the dust storm blanketing parts of South Australia were posted online on Monday.
A video posted from the town of Orroroo by South Australian media personality Andrew “Cosi” Costello shows a thick orange haze reducing visibility to less than a few hundred metres.
“Bloody hell,” wrote Costello in this video posted to Facebook.
In Victoria, the State Emergency Service told residents to close doors and windows and remain indoors when the storm arrived. In South Australia, police warned drivers to exercise extreme caution because the roads were unsafe.
The dust also made its way through NSW’s far west, with the areas of Lake Victoria and Coombah reporting extremely poor air quality along with stations at Walpeup and Werrimull in Victoria.
Air Quality NSW is urging people in these areas to stay indoors because exposure to air pollution can cause health problems such as irritation or respiratory issues.
The level of PM2.5 matter (fine particles that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs) was more than 10 times above the level considered safe to inhale.
Sudden change
Laura, who works in Swan Hill, said she had first encountered the dust while at work early Monday afternoon.
But then a thicker dust cloud blew over while she was driving home to Quambatook, 60 kilometres south. Within minutes, the visibility had dropped from one kilometre to as little as 30 metres.
Loading
“We haven’t got it as bad as [south-western Victoria], but we definitely need rain here,” she said.
“The dirt has crossed the road, so farmers won’t like that if they’ve started sowing crops already.”
The most recent dust storms to hit the region before Monday took place in 2019 and 2022.
Read the full article here
