Sunny skies ahead for Australia Day weekend after dust deluge
Tourists and Melburnians who arrived in the city just before the Australia Day long weekend found the Yarra River looking even murkier than usual, but are in for a pleasant few days.
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Homes, cars and walkways throughout Melbourne were left dirty and the Yarra browner than usual after high winds whipped up in the state’s northwest collided with a major rainstorm lashing the city ahead of the Australia Day long weekend.
The next few days will be consistently pleasant compared to the last week. Today will reach 24C with only a slight chance of rain, while tomorrow will bring a sunny 25C with no rain and Sunday and Monday will reach 27C with only some cloud.
Wednesday’s cold front picked up dust storms in the Mallee and South Australia and dragged them south — and Wednesday night’s downpour then caused it to fall as brown rain.
The highest rainfall in the state was 38mm recorded at Rhyll near Philip Island and 35mm at Avalon Airport and Cerberus on the Mornington Peninsula.
A similar dust storm hit Sydney overnight, covering the city in the same red dust Melbourne saw yesterday.
After a hot and challenging day for firefighters in NSW, southwesterly winds mercifully arrived providng a cool change early this morning, however like Melbourne, the cleanup after the dust deluge would be ongoing.
A dust storm also swept through Mildura and the northwest of the state yesterday.
The Bureau of Meteorology said visibility had been reduced to just 500m at Mildura Airport.
The dust from storms in northern Victoria, South Australia and NSW spread to Melbourne last night because of strong winds, turning the Yarra even browner than usual and covering cars and homes across the city.
The dirty rain caused public pools to be closed and left cars looking like they had been sprayed with mud, while people with water tanks at home took to social media to report toilets flushing orange water.
Wednesday’s downpour in Melbourne saw the most rain fall in Melton South (32mm) Frankston and Oakleigh, both 31mm, while at the same time strong winds battered the state with 128kmh recorded at Mouth Hotham and 83kmh at Melbourne Airport.
The deluge also caused flash flooding and transport chaos in inner Melbourne with Burnley station closed during the morning peak, reopening at 10am and prompting the Department of Transport to warn drivers across the city.
The Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers were also very brown and a layer of red was left on some outside courts at Melbourne Park making them unplayable at the Australian Open in the morning.
The brown water was caused by tiny dust particles, including clay, picked up by the dust storms, Dr Tony Weatherley of the University of Melbourne told the Herald Sun.
He said it was unlikely to pose a major health risk.
“If you were standing in the middle of the dust storm that could cause some respiratory problems. But otherwise it’s not likely to be terribly significant.”
The Environment Protection Agency said the Yarra would remain brown until enough rain fell to clear it.
Dr Weatherley, a senior lecturer in soil science, said an issue could arise if the dust-affected water got into pool filters, which is why public pools made the decision to close.
He said events such as Wednesday night’s brown rain were not unprecedented, but it wasn’t common.
“It happens more often in rural areas, but we don’t see it this widespread in the city very often.”
Brunswick Baths closed its outdoor pool yesterday because of poor visibility while the City of Boroondara also closed its outdoor pools due to the brown rain, as did Queens Park pool at Moonee Ponds. “Our outdoor pool is closed after some run-off from the heavy rain overnight that has affected the water quality,” the Harold Holt Swim Centre said on its Facebook page.
The forecast is for rain to ease before sunny conditions over the next few days.
The EPA categorised water quality at most Port Phillip Beaches and the Yarra as “poor”, saying heavy rain had flushed pollution from Melbourne’s stormwater system into waterways and then Port Phillip Bay.
The EPA warned against any swimming in affected areas — including for pets — for at least 48 hours after heavy rainfall.
Western Sydney University water quality expert Dr Ian Wright told 3AW that tiny dust particles, including clay, from dust storms interstate caused the yarra to turn brown-orange.
The particles are extremely small and may take weeks to settle, Dr Wright said.
Although Melbourne’s air quality was rated good this morning the dust in the air had the potential to affect those with respiratory issues much like the recent bushfire smoke. Those who may be at risk were advised to stay indoors where possible.
Anyone with rainwater tanks for drinking water has been warned to use bottled water instead but Melbourne water is reported to be safe to drink.
Australian Open fans Wednesday night turned to social media as the wet weather hit at 8pm, many describing the rain as “dirty”.
The dust storm combined with poor water quality around the city forced the closure of several Melbourne pools.
BOM spokesman Michael Efron said there was lightning across central parts of Victoria during Wednesday’s weather shift.
The bushfire affected regions in the northeast and East Gippsland received little of the rainfall.
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The northeast started to see some showers develop this morning but is forecast to receive less than 10mm of rain. East Gippsland will receive 1-5mm.
Mr Efron said yesterday saw very strong winds across the state — 137kmh was recorded at Mt Hotham, 109kmh at Falls Creek and 107kmh at Mt Buller.
Great #duststorm this pm #mildura #victoria #australia #weather #janesweather pic.twitter.com/14fS3r2yyA
— tigerkat (@marks_katrina) January 23, 2020
Visibility reduced to approximately 500m at Mildura Airport today as another dust storm affected the region. The good news is that lighter winds are expected Friday and across the long weekend. https://t.co/F71arc6xjX pic.twitter.com/qrsBjNRv0D
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 23, 2020