Duststorms

In Mildura, a thick haze of red-earth dust blanketed the city – the regular duststorms a consequence of drought – and in the west of Victoria more than 80,000 homes were left without power after a network failure which also sparked a fire.

A series of duststorms and thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning, rolled across northern and eastern India in May and June, triggering heavy losses of life and property.

This wind is often accompanied by violent duststorms that may rise to heights of several thousand meters and close airports for brief periods.