Erratic weather patterns - reflections of sandstorms and hail

We endured two sandstorms like never before, well, not in metropolitan cities at least. My elderly friends who grew up in the country said that sandstorms were a frequent phenomena but it was just dusty and carried a yellowish tinge, not the reddish siren colour we saw in late September. I was awakened by excited noises beckoning me to the window. For a moment, I thought of a raging bush fire, quite unlikely in our area with wide open spaces and some distance from the bush. It was like we were teleported to Mars during the night.

Sydney sees red : shrouded by thick dust


- SMH photo


We missed a large part of the second sandstorm 10 days after the scary first. While driving interstate early in the morning, I was puzzled by the poor visibility despite vague recollection of the local weather forecast. We were greeted by freezing temperatures during a rainy and chilly weekened in ACT, but still preferably to another boring weekend indoors.

The adults we know went to work as usual, hindered by inconvenience, breathing difficulties slower traffic as a result of more careful driving. Not the children who had good excuse to stay away from school when the slightest opportunity arises. Some children who were apparently asthmatic were playing soccer outdoors - defeats the purpose of not inhaling the dust and worsen their health condition. I could not open my eyes the moment I stepped out of the door, and had to call in for last minute leave.

Hail, heat and cold spell

It has been a month since and the rains and chilly winds washed away most of the dust. Then came the hail, a hot spell which lulled us into believing that summer has arrived, followed by days of rain this week. All within a short space of time! The skies must have gone crazy, you might think. Fortunately, the hail did not hit us badly this time round. Knocking sounds on the awning and roof but did not cause much damage to the house and the car.

Remnants of hailstones from my friend's backyard :



Compare this with the hail storm two years ago :





Reflection or after thought?

Sceptics of climate change would need to find good excuses for their lame defence against saving the earth. Perhaps a more powerful message would be sent in the form of higher food prices as the top soils eroded from the outback would cause agricultural prices to spiral and hit consumers' pockets. I would like to see this as a blessing in disguise. A wakeup call to feet dragging politicians and industrialists to take serious steps to reduce carbon emissions and stem global warming.


Sydney Morning Post cartoon :