A massive dust storm steamrolling through towns in Australia has been caught on film, showing clouds of red covering everything in sight.
The spectacle came as strong winds whipped up dust ahead of a storm front passing through central west New South Wales just before 8pm on Sunday (local time).
According to 9 News, the dust cloud first hit the town of Narromine before passing down to Dubbo and Parkes.
Marcia Macmillan, who lives in Mullengudgery, near the town of Nyngan, said such storms were growing increasingly common in the region.
"These monsters have sadly become our new norm, and they are just as corroding to our emotional and mental wellbeing as they are to the landscape," she told News.com.au "It's enormous. We've had five in the last week and they just keep rolling in."
Footage of dust storms was shared widely across social media.
"Next time they forecast a storm, I'll know just to assume #duststorm," wrote one person on Twitter, posting video of the impending cloud. "3mm of rain since Wednesday and 2 of these since Friday."
In the footage, the cloud can be seen quickly approaching the person's car as they film, before everything goes dark apart from what appears to be rays of lightning.
Another person shared a photo of the darkness brought by the storm, saying it "turned day into night".
Locals are now learning to accept the storms as commonplace, despite the inconvenience and hardship they bring.
MacMillan told News.com.au the storms "wreak havoc and devastation every couple of days".
"They are so common that people continue going about their daily routine without taking much notice."
The region where the dust storm hit has faced severe drought conditions in recent months.
Last week, water levels at NSW's Burrendong Dam, which supplies water to towns such as Dubbo, has dropped to a critical low of 1.6 percent, the Sydney Morning Herald reported last week.
There are now fears the dam will run dry, potentially leaving places like Dubbo without water by the middle of the year.
The dry conditions have made farming the land particularly difficult, with many families in the region being forced to move elsewhere to find work.
Soon after the dust cloud passed on Sunday, 2.2.mm of much-needed rain was recorded in Dubbo, according to 9 News.
Thunderstorms were forecast for the area last week, however when they arrived they were not as widespread as first thought.
The drought in central west NSW comes as bushfires continue to ravage other parts of the state.
Since October, 21 people have been killed across the state by the fires and more than 1500 homes destroyed.
