Powerful winds sweeping through southeastern Australia have coated a town in dust, giving the sky a dark orange hue. Residents said that dust storms are becoming more regular, making the area uninhabitable.

Videos and photographs show the darkened skies above Mildura, Victoria – the result of strong winds that reached 40kph (24mph) on Thursday. Temperatures were also recorded at a scorching 40°C (104°F).

Australian media described the ‘apocalyptic-like scenes’ in the town.

There's been apocalyptic like scenes in the state's north-west with a dust storm sweeping through blanketing Mildura. @Brett_Mcleod#9Newspic.twitter.com/TAkXpBA05h — Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) November 21, 2019

“The sky is now deep orange. And the wind is harsh,” a local told AAP. “It is just atrocious. This dust, we have had it so often and it is becoming a norm for us.”

Residents said they were accustomed to one or two such storms a year, but that they were now experiencing them several times a week.

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