The 1983 Melbourne dust storm | 8th February #shorts #history
Channel: Josan's Story Time
Date: 08/02/2024

In late 1982 and early 1983, an El Niño weather cycle triggered severe drought across eastern Australia, hitting Victoria's Mallee and northern Wimmera regions hard.

On the morning of February 8th, 1983, strong dry winds preceded a cold front crossing Victoria. Loose topsoil from the Mallee and Wimmera formed a massive dust cloud, signaling the approaching weather change. By 11:00am, raised dust was observed in Horsham, quickly obscuring the sky.

Melbourne experienced a rapid temperature rise, reaching a record February high of 43.2°C (109.8°F) by 2:35pm. Concurrently, a red-brown cloud advanced toward the city.

The dust storm hit Melbourne around 3:00pm, accompanied by a sharp temperature drop and powerful wind change. Visibility plummeted to 100 meters (330 ft), halting traffic and forcing city workers to seek refuge from the choking dust.

By 4:00pm, the storm subsided as wind speeds decreased. The dust cloud, around 320 meters (1,050 ft) high upon striking Melbourne, extended much higher in other parts of Victoria.

Approximately 50,000 tonnes of topsoil were stripped from the Mallee, with about 1,000 tonnes deposited on the city. The drought and dust storm caused extensive land damage, estimated to take up to a decade and tens of millions of dollars to repair, according to the President of the Victorian Farmers and Graziers' Association.

A week later, the same weather pattern preceded the devastating Ash Wednesday fires, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life.