Dust storm hits again

HOT and windy weather on the weekend saw the North Coast hit by a second dust storm.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the 200km long dust storm developed in South Australia. It hit western NSW just after 7am, but did not arrive on the North Coast until Saturday afternoon.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Jane Golding said the dust storm was not as intense as the dust storm which hit the region last Wednesday, and lost dust as it travelled north.

“The further away from the source it gets, it loses a bit of dust,” she said.

Eight asthma cases were treated at Lismore Base Hospital on the weekend, compared with an average weekend of about four cases.

Flights at Lismore and Ballina airports were not affected by the dust storm.

The storm had little affect on the Gold Coast and passed through Brisbane by yesterday.