The skies over Shark Bay in Western Australia turned an eerie blood red as Tropical Cyclone Narelle approached, a phenomenon caused by an iron-rich dust storm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Video filmed at Shark Bay Caravan Park in Denham on Friday and shared on social media showed the dust storm engulfing the town, colouring the sky a deep red. The spectacle occurred as Narelle crossed into Western Australia, hitting the state roughly 900 kilometres north of Perth.
Jessica Lingard from the Bureau of Meteorology explained that high winds from the cyclone whipped up rust-red, iron-rich soils from the landscape, pushing the dust through areas like Shark Bay ahead of the cyclone. The Pilbara region, centre of Australia's iron-ore industry, lies less than 400 kilometres to Denham's northeast.
Lingard noted that the footage captured the perfect combination of factors: strong winds, dry ground, and photographers in the right place. Onslow in northwestern Western Australia experienced a similar phenomenon in January when inland thunderstorms generated strong winds that pushed red dust to the coastline.
Cyclone Narelle made history as the first storm system in over 20 years to make landfall in three of Australia's states and territories.
