Wagga dust storm continues into the night as winds pick up

Junee has been clouded with dust from 1pm so severely that Byrnes Road has been blocked and diverted for driver safety.  

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Red clouds have crept into Wagga over the last hour as a dust storm hits the city.

Technical Officer at Wagga Bureau of Meteorology Nigel Smedley said the dust storm was forecast, but has arrived a little earlier than expected. 

“It was forecast today to get some raised dust later this afternoon due to a cold front moving through which has caused strong winds, but the winds have been going since this morning bringing the dust through sooner,” he said.

Mr Smedley said the region’s visibility is significantly reduced and people should be cautious on the roads.

“Visibility has dropped to 12km and could continue to get worse – it’s normally at around 30km or more,” he said. 

The dust is not looking to settle until late evening, with Mr Smedley suggesting the winds won’t die down fully until around 11pm.

“The winds are looking to remain quite strong, currently around 46km now, and forecast to be 43km at 5pm, 32km at 8pm and 22km by 11pm,” he said.