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Wind and rain caused the thunderstorm to dump sand and dust it had picked while passing over the coastal town of Onslow on its way out to the Indian Ocean, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Austen Watkins said.![Onslow_Dust_Storm_4]()
Meteorologists call the freaky phenomenon a "haboob."![Onslow_Dust_Storm_8]()
A tugboat worker who captured some shots of the event said visibility was reduced to a few hundred feet and swells rose about six feet.![Onslow_Dust_Storm_1]()
"It was like a big dust storm under a thunderhead, there was a lot of lightning but not a lot of rain," Martin told the West Australian.![Onslow_Dust_Storm_2]()
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Amazing red-dust storm strikes Western Australia
Australians witnessed an eye-popping event: a red-dust storm choked skies ahead of a tropical cyclone, a phenomenon known as a "haboob" by meteorologists. See more pictures of the storm at Perth Weather Live.
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- Amazing red-dust storm strikes Western Australia
