NEWCASTLE and the Hunter is under a haze as the dust storm sweeping across the state moves out to sea.
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The airborne dirt tracked through the Riverina earlier on Tuesday afternoon before descending towards Newcastle and the coast.
Residents in the Hunter would have woken under a haze of dust on Wednesday, which has gradually increased throughout the day.
“The dust storm was being created as blustery north-westerly winds picked up dry top soil across drought-stricken areas of western and southern inland NSW,” Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino said.
According to the weather expert, it is the latest in a series of dust storms that have affected NSW after a prolonged run of drier than usual weather throughout most of last year.
Rebecca Farr from the Bureau of Meteorology said the haze is expected to hang around for most of the day.
"It may start to clear into the evening," she said.
"Tomorrow we are definitely expecting a clearer day."
Every month except for October and November received below-average rain in 2018, making it the state's sixth driest year on record overall. January this year was also drier than usual.
After the heat and hazardous fire conditions of Tuesday, temperatures across the Hunter Region also dropped overnight.
A cold front brought windy conditions and daytime temperatures in the high 20s. Following this, a high pressure system is expected to move from the Bight to the Tasman Sea during the second half of the week, pushing a ridge up the NSW coast.
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- With the Western Advocate