Mildura 'battens down the hatches' as dust storm takes over
Police are directing traffic across town, as it gets harder for motorists to see.
Real estate agent Katrina Wootton said while it was not that unusual for Mildura, it was the first dust storm in a while.
"The Mallee dust is just rearing its ugly head today," Ms Wootton said.
"We're quite used to it, you know, close all the windows and batten down the hatches.
Emergency Services are warning people in the area to stay indoors, close their windows and shut their doors.
If indoors, they advise people to set air conditioners to recirculate air and to cover your nose and mouth with a mask or damp cloth.
"I've been wearing my sunglasses all day even though it's quite dull to keep the dust out of the eyes," Ms Wootton said.
"I thought it was going to miss us … but it's getting progressively worse and worse."
ABC Statewide Drive listeners texted in to the program and said in Colignan, visibility was reduced to 400 metres.
While in Red Cliffs, Sue Eason told the ABC the sky had turned from red to black.
"If we look out we can see vineyards … [but] we can only see the first row," Ms Eason said.
"My car is blue but it's brown.
"Outside we'll have to blow a lot of things down tomorrow."
Parts of South Australia have also experienced dust storms as wild weather hits the state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tornado rips through Perth's City Beach, destroying multimillion-dollar homes
A freak so-called tornado has left an incredible trail of destruction in one of Perth's most prestigious suburbs, destroying multimillion-dollar homes and leaving streets resembling war zones. Wild weather hit the city on Wednesday afternoon, in particular City Beach, where several homes lost their roofs and experienced other severe damage. Video footage shows the path of chaos starting at City Beach Oval and then into the suburb, with roofs off properties, trees strewn across the road and fences down. One City Beach family left without a roof on their multimillion-dollar home. The family of four were at home on Kalari Drive relaxing on the couch when the wind gust ripped away the roof of the master bedroom, making room for rain to pour onto the furniture. Solar panels which were attached to the roof flew onto the neighbours roofs and into their backyards. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. The family was looking for a hotel to book on Wednesday night and until the damage is repaired. 'I heard a huge bang and I thought all the windows would implode,' one family member said. Another family living nearby on Marapana Road watched their backyard get crumpled by falling trees. 'I was just sitting in the kitchen, and I was looking out into our backyard, the pool area and this whole lot of darkness just filled up the air,' the homeowner, who did not want to be named, said. 'It was obviously dust and debris... it was pretty wild. 'There was a lot of rain and a lot of wind, it was torrential, it was very heavy. 'We went outside when it cooled down a little bit, and we've got trees from next door that have fallen in, we've got two other property's fences caved in, we've got people's chairs, people's bins just come out of nowhere. 'Our yard is demolished basically.' Video footage shows a cloud formation in the sky which appears to look like a tornado, however authorities are yet to officially confirm. The damage left at City Beach's Lentara Crescent was extreme. Big trees fell across the road, rendering it almost undriveable. A fence was completely torn from the side of one house and thrown towards the other side of the street. The roof of a carport was caved in, with bricks toppled onto the road and windows of the home smashed. State Emergency Service crews were seen at the home doing their best to secure what they could. A strong wind warning was in place on Wednesday night for the Perth coast. The trail of destruction left by a 'freak' tornado on Wednesday, Swanbourne had experienced 20.2mm of rain since 9am on Wednesday, with a wind gust of 50km/h recorded just before 4pm. Meanwhile, wind gusts of 76km/h were recorded at Rottnest Island and 73km/h at Garden Island. Main Roads WA was warning motorists to take care on Wednesday evening, with the Causeway flooded after Adelaide Terrace in the city. The Weather Bureau is forecasting a maximum temperature of just 14C in Perth on Thursday, with a chance of a thunderstorm near the coast in the early morning. Last year, a tornado caused major damage to dozens of homes when it tore through Bunbury.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Tornado tears through Perth's western suburbs, damaging homes and uprooting trees
Residents say a freak tornado that ripped through Perth's coastal suburbs sounded "like a jet engine" as it fell trees and tore up the roofs of homes. Multi-million-dollar properties were damaged and debris covered the roads in the affluent suburb of City Beach after the Wednesday-night storm the Bureau of Meteorology has now confirmed was a tornado. The storm, which came with little warning, was detected intensifying around 5:20pm. "[The storm] became significant as it immediately approached the coastline, so very limited scope for warning," meteorologist Jessica Lingard told ABC Radio Perth. "[There's] a lot of damage that we've seen overnight and it does look like it was a tornado that caused the damage in City Beach." Images and videos of a waterspout forming over the ocean were circulated in community social media pages. Ms Lingard said it likely continued as a tornado. "[It] maybe started off as a waterspout, then managed to make that sea-land boundary crossing and hold its steam together to produce that damage," Ms Lingard said. City Beach resident Anita was out at the time the tornado ripped through the area but said when she returned home later that night, she was confronted by destruction. "I can only describe it as devastation," she told ABC Radio Perth. "West Coast Highway was covered in huge branches, which I tried to move off the road for the traffic, and the pathway was just covered. "We were just in the direct firing line, the trees are just struck down. "Then it moved beyond our place south-east and took off our friend's roof." Another resident, Carlene, said she did not see the storm coming but the sound of the wind outside was "extraordinary." "All of a sudden we heard this amazing, like, a roar, like a jet engine … the wind came through the house," she told ABC Radio Perth. "Creating havoc outside — the next door neighbour's trees are split in half." Damage was also reported in Perth's eastern suburb of Rivervale, but the bureau ruled out the possibility of another tornado. "[It was] probably not a tornado through the Rivervale area, through that looks like to be more localised, perhaps something like a microburst there," Ms Lingard said.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Struggling South Australian beekeepers anxious about varroa mite risk
After struggling through drought and low prices, South Australia's beekeepers are heading into a key pollination season anxious about the potential spread of the bee-killing varroa mite. There has been little to no honey production this season in SA after drought reduced nectar and pollen availability. Hives are now moving into the state from around the country for critical pollination of crops such as almonds, with strict measures in place to prevent varroa mite from hitching a ride and adding to beekeepers' woes. Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chief executive Danny Le Feuvre said beekeepers "can't catch a break" after floods in the country's north and drought in the south hammered bee populations. "There's been some rain in SA, but where beekeepers make their honey from is from a lot of the native scrub and bush around the country, and it's very slow to react to rainfall," Mr Le Feuvre said. "Farm-gate honey prices are very low … so you add other impacts like drought, where they don't make a lot of production for the year, it's really pushing a lot of guys up against the wall. "We're seeing beekeepers stepping out of the industry. "We're seeing a lot of bunkering down to just get through this drought and hopefully come out the other side next year with a better season, but it's really tough at the moment." Heading into pollination season, the varroa threat adds to beekeepers' worries. Varroa destructor was first discovered in Australia in Newcastle in mid-2022 and has slowly spread to areas of Queensland and Victoria. It is yet to be detected in SA. Nationally, the plan is to manage the mite's spread, rather than attempt to eradicate it. Mr Le Feuvre said hives needed to be moved, but under careful management to slow varroa's spread. "Absolutely, it creates anxiety amongst beekeepers — no-one wants to get varroa mite — but we've got some good risk mitigation in place." SA Apiarist Association president Brenton Davis urged the state's beekeepers to be prepared. "The risk has never been higher, and it's pretty much inevitable that varroa would come into South Australia anytime in the near future," Mr Davis said. "I think it's up to individual beekeepers to prepare and be ready with plans, and attend the training sessions that are available, learn from people that are already doing it. "Start taking the steps now. Be as prepared as we possibly can so we can keep moving forward." Almond Board of Australia executive Tim Jackson said, despite the challenges, there were enough hives available for pollination this year. "If there's one good thing that has come out of varroa, it's that it has brought parties together to recognise that pollination shouldn't be taken for granted and that measures should be put in place to ensure that effective pollination occurs across all industries." Department of Primary Industries and Regions director of animal biosecurity Con Poulos said he understood people's concerns, but SA had strict permit conditions for bringing in hives from states where varroa was present. "We know that the risk has increased in Victoria and Queensland, but we've got some pretty strict movement restrictions in place for people applying to bring hives in from those two states this year," Mr Poulos said. "We're comfortable that they find the balance between slowing the spread of varroa as much as we can, as well as keeping pollination going for the industries that rely on it. "This season, the number of hives that we think might come in industry are telling us would be reliant on about $100 million worth of almonds, and then later on we've got lucerne and other crops that also need pollination, so it's critical to get that balance between biosecurity and keeping business afloat."
