SEVERE DUSTSTORM IN SYDNEY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 310, 24 October 1888, Page 4

SEVERE DUSTSTORM IN SYDNEY.

A most peculiar storm was experienced in Sydney and suburbs lately. Between 10 and 11 o'clock the wind, which had hardly been felt during the morning, began to freshen, and almost at the same time huge clouds ot dust arose, the magnitude of which increased every moment. The wind seemed to come in gusts and reached its greatest velocity at noon, the instrument at the Government Observatory registering two minutes before midday the extraordinary velocity of 81 '2 miles per hour. Afterthat tbepowerof the wind decreased its speed registering at intervals of a few minutes 794, 798, and 74*8 miles per hour. Of course, these were not kept up for long, the records being merely for " puffs." About 2 o'clock the wind lessened considerably, and for the remainder of the afternoon it did mt exceed 36 miles per hour. The dust throughout the whole of the storm, which lasted about three hours, was terrible. Some damage was done both in the city and in the suburbs. Sheets of iron were wrenched from the tops of houses, the roofs of sheds carried away, windows were broken, gates torn off their hinges, huge branches snapped off trees both in the gardens and in the bush, and in many other ways the effects of the storm were felt. Beyond Druittown or Bankstown a bush fire broke out just at the beginning of the storm, and, fanned by the furious wind, it soon assumed serious proportions, the smoke almost excelling the , dust for density. It is not reported^ whether any serious consequences resulted from the tire.