Australia's worst dust storm in 70 years blanketed the heavily populated east coast Sept. 23 in a cloud of red Outback grit, nearly closed the country's largest airport and left millions of people coughing and sputtering in the streets. It also served as a backdrop for some amazing photos ...


Traffic makes its way over the Cahill Expressway near Sydney in the midst of a dust storm Sept. 23 that dumped thousands of tons of dust on the most populated city in Australia. "It did feel like Armageddon because when I was in the kitchen looking out the skylight, there was this red glow coming through," Sydney resident Karen told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. (Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images)

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The famed outline of the Sydney Opera House in Australia is barely visible through a cloud of dust that engulfed the city and surrounding areas Sept. 23.

The Sydney Opera House is just a faint outline as seen from across the harbor. (Matt Blyth, Getty Images)


Sydney's cars and buildings turned orange as strong winds blew desert dust across the city, snarling commuter and air transportation and prompting a warning for children and the elderly to stay indoors. This photo shows the Bradfield Freeway. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)


A woman wears a mask in Sydney's central business district, Sept. 23. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)


The wind, which blew in from the Australian outback, was caused when the powerful winds of an inland storm picked up topsoil from land parched after years of harsh drought, carrying it to the large cities on the coast. (Stuart Hannagan, Getty Images)


Although dust storms are common in inland Australia, they rarely make it out to the coast. The Sydney Opera House appears at left from a photo shot beneath the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Matt Blyth, Getty Images)


A woman takes a photograph as the Sydney Opera House is shrouded in an eerie blanket of dust. (Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images)


Winds bringing in the swirling dust bend palm trees under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Matt Blyth, Getty Images)


A man walks his dog through Observatory Hill near Sydney. (Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images)


Australian weather officials warned that another dust storm could materialize over the next few days. An El Nino phenomenon is also developing in the Pacific, which could mean even more dryness for Australia's eastern states. The North Sydney Olympic Pool sits unused next to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)


Research on dust storms is thin when compared with some other areas of climate-change research, although studies suggest increased frequency of storms in the past few years. (Stuart Hannagan, Getty Images)


A woman walks her dog under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Stuart Hannagan, Getty Images)


A television crew films from Observatory Hill near Sydney. (Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images)


Sydney city office buildings are shrouded in a yellowish blanket of dust. (Greg Wood, AFP / Getty Images)


The Sydney Opera House. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)


A dog trots past the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Cameron Spencer, Getty Images)


Jeffrey's Street Wharf is devoid of people during the Sept. 23 storm. (Cameron Spencer, Getty Images)


A cyclist rides under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Stuart Hannagan, Getty Images)


A man wears a scarf as a mask in downtown Sydney trying to protect himself from the fine granules of dirt and sand that blew through the city Sept. 23. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)


A man wears a scarf as a mask in downtown Sydney trying to protect himself from the fine granules of dirt and sand that blew through the city Sept. 23. (Brendon Thorne, Getty Images)