Skipper, turn this thing around! Incredible wall of sand whipped up by cyclone hits remote stretch of Western Australia coast

Strong winds carried the sand from the Indian Ocean to the north-western town of Onslow

The region was already bracing itself for category-three cyclone when storm hit

It is the latest wild weather to strike the country after days of destructive bush fires in south-eastern Australia




An enormous wall of dust has hit part of Australia as residents brace themselves for a tropical cyclone.

The stunning images of the wild dust storm were captured by tugboat works and aeroplane passengers near the town of Onslow in north-western Australia.

Local reports say the huge swathes of red sand and dust had been picked up by strong winds in the Indian Ocean before being dropped near the town.



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Menacing: The towering red dust storm is pictured rolling across the ocean as it approaches Onslow in West Australia Tsunami of particles: Tugboat worker Brett Martin captured the terrifying wall of dust about 25 nautical miles from the coast About to be engulfed: Ships are dwarfed by the huge cloud of dust which sailors said reduced visibility to just 100 metres The tsunami-like wave of sand could be seen travelling for miles and dwarfed ships out at sea.

Tugboat worker Brett Martin, who shot some of the pictures, said before the storm hit conditions were calm and glassy. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next A Christmas card come to life: Jerusalem hit by worst... Plain terrain and automobiles: Amazing pictures of Dakar... Share this article Share But when the dust arrived visibility was reduced to just 100 metres and the swell rose to two metres.

Looming on the horizon: Local weather forecasters said the dust had been picked up on land in the Indian Ocean Terrifying: Families in the region were already preparing for the arrival of a category-three cyclone when the dust storm arrived The dust storm engulfs the town of Onslow: It is the latest incident in weeks of dramatic weather in the country that has been besieged by terrible bush fires after unprecedented high temperatures

CREEP, JUMP, SUSPEND: HOW SANDSTORMS FORM

A dust or sand storm is a weather phenomenon common in arid regions like the Sahara.

They develop when a strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface, firstly causing them to 'creep' along the ground then saltate (or 'leap') into the air.

When the particles then begin to break into smaller ones, they eventually become suspended in the wind. The term sandstorm is used most often in desert environments while dust storm is applied when finer particles are blown long distances, especially over urban areas.

It is the latest incident in weeks of dramatic weather in the country that has been besieged by terrible bush fires after unprecedented high temperatures and strong winds ravaged much of the south east.

Now, Australia's first cyclone of the storm season is intensifying off the country's northwest and is expected to start affecting coastal areas in mining powerhouse Western Australia state from today, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM).



ABM's manager of climate services Glenn Cook told The Australian the dust storm was not directly related to the cyclone - the centre of which is still hundreds of kilometres away.

Wind gusts in Onslow reached 63mph and the dust storm was made worse by the lack of rain in the region.

Climate information officer John Relf told The Australian: 'If it's pretty dry in land, boom, there you go. It was the right recipe.'

He said dust storms were rare and may only happen once or twice a year, if at all.

The dramatic weather is set to continue as the category-three cyclone heads to north-western Australia.

Local forecasters warned of 60mph gales and gusts of more than 80mph and oil and mining operations are preparing to close when the cyclone lands.



Car giant Chevron is also set to evacuate workers from Barrow Island - about 30 miles off the coast.

Not over yet: The dramatic weather is set to continue as the category-three cyclone heads to north-western Australia Rare event: Climate information officer John Relf said dust storms like the one that hit Onslow (right) were rare and may only happen once or twice a year, if at all Inferno: South-eastern Australia, including New South Wales, has been ravaged by days of vicious bush fires