Dust storm blankets Sydney

Red dust cloaks Sydney's Harbour Bridge on Sept. 23. The dust was being blown in by strong winds from dry farmland in western and southern parts of New South Wales and eastern South Australia. The storms — visible as a huge brown smudge in satellite photographs of the country — were the most severe since the 1940s, experts said.

A dust storm blankets Sydney's iconic Opera House at sunrise on Sept. 23.

A runner passes a dog tied to a bench during a dust storm at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

A man prepares to leave a ferry wharf in Balmain, Sydney, after learning that services had been cancelled due to the dust blanketing the city.

Sydney's Bradfield Freeway is seen on Sept. 23.

Beachgoers walk through the haze on Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Cars wait at traffic lights in Sydney on Sept. 23. Flights were diverted and ferries canceled as the red dust shrouded most of Australia's largest city.

Jeffrey's Street Wharf is seen in Sydney.

Sydney ferries are seen docked at Circular Quay on Sept. 23.

A surfer heads for the water as a dust storm blankets Bondi Beach.

Six-year-old Ariella, top, and her three-year-old sister Romy enjoy an early morning swing in Sydney on Sept. 23.

Seagulls take flight in the high winds as the storm blankets Bondi Beach.