A severe weather warning remains in force for the South Coast as a thick blanket of dust continues to cloak the region.Strong winds are thrashing the Illawarra, prompting a number of calls to the State Emergency Service for help with fallen trees and roof damage.SES regional learning and development officer Robbie Landon said the service had responded to 24 jobs since last night.
SLIDESHOW: Mercury photographers capture the dust storm YOUR PICTURES: Slideshow of Mercury readers' photos CLICK HERE to send us photos of the dust storm Dust storm triggers asthma attacksMost calls were related to strong winds in the Wingecarribee and Mittagong areas, however calls for assistance had picked up since midday in the Wollongong area.The Bureau of Meteorology has warned winds averaging more 65 km/h and gusts of more than 100 km/h are likely in the Illawarra, South Coast, Hunter and Metropolitan regions this afternoon.VIDEO: Broken Hill dust storm turns day into nightThe weather warning came as South Coast residents woke to a thick red haze this morning unlike anything seen in recent history, after gales blew dust from the state's west over the region.The haze will not disappear until the low pressure system over the region, which brought the dusty winds, moves out to sea, most likely in the evening.Cars were caked with dirt, houses and footpaths tinged in red and backyard pools filled with mud as the storm reduced visibility to just 500m in some areas.Social networking sites were flooded with comments as Illawarra residents expressed their amazement at this morning's conditions, while scores of Illawarra Mercury readers also sent in their photos.The Bureau of Meteorology said the dust storm stretched from the South Coast up to the north-east of the state, and was expected to remain for most of today.The dust storm reached southern Queensland this afternoon, causing traffic delays, raising health concerns and cancelling horse racing.Severe weather forecaster Deryn Griffiths said the dust had been picked up on the winds over South Australia and inland NSW."The winds started picking up the dust two days ago over South Australia, and picked up further dust as it came across NSW," she said."This is caused by the pro-longed westerly winds plus the dry conditions."She said visibility in Nowra had dropped to just 500m, while in Sydney, visibility was reduced to 1km.The last time visibility dropped that low in Sydney was in 1944, bureau figures showed.The NSW Ambulance Service said it had experienced an increase in calls from asthma sufferers as a result of the dust haze this morning. Some were taken to hospital, a spokeswoman said.The Fire Brigade received many calls between 3am and 7am, triggered by automatic fire alarms.The Roads and Traffic Authority advised motorists to exercise caution, and in Sydney ferries were suspended earlier this morning.Sydney Airport was also crippled by the storm, with long delays to domestic and international flights expected throughout the day.
