Some of the thousands of tons of dirt and soil lifted in the dust storm were dumped in Sydney Harbour and the Tasman Sea.

[4] While the cloud was visible from space, on the ground the intense red-orange colour and drop in temperature drew comparisons with nuclear winter, Armageddon, and the planet Mars.

[5][6][7] The dust storm was described by the Bureau of Meteorology as a "pretty incredible event" that was the worst in the state of New South Wales in nearly 70 years.

"[10] According to the New South Wales regional director of the Bureau of Meteorology, Barry Hanstrum, the cause was an "intense north low-pressure area" which "picked up a lot of dust from the very dry interior of the continent".

[11] Senior forecaster Ewan Mitchel said winds from a cold front picked up dust from north-east South Australia on 22 September.

[12] That night the winds strengthened to 100 km per hour and collected more dust from areas in New South Wales that were drought affected.

[13] A second dust storm, originating in the same area but believed to be smaller, reached Broken Hill and Cobar by 10 pm on 25 September 2009.

[17] This storm arrived in Sydney between 4 and 5 am on 26 September 2009, it pushed the EPA air quality index into the 'Poor to Hazardous' range.

[2] It was reported that the dust set off smoke alarms across the state and prompted increased demand for emergency services.

[26] Face masks experienced surging sales in Sydney as concerned residents rushed to protect themselves against the dust, with at least one retailer indicating she had sold more than during the swine flu pandemic.

[30] The Gold Coast was also severely affected by the dust storm by 11.30 am, reducing visibility to 500 metres (1,600 ft).

Work stopped at construction sites due to health concerns, powerlines were down in some areas, the Q-deck was closed and traffic was slow with motorists using headlights.

Affected areas include Townsville, Blackwater, Rockhampton,[34] Mackay,[35] Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria (Normanton and Kowanyama).

[36] Red dust from the storm reached New Zealand on the morning of 25 September 2009, behind a weather front that brought cold temperatures to the North Island.