An apocalyptic dust storm engulfed Mildura on Tuesday, plunging the Murray River town into darkness in just a few minutes.
The dust storm rolled across Mildura in Victoria's north-west about 5pm, darkening the town and reducing visibility.
Bureau of Meteorology Duty forecaster Christie Johnson said the storm was brought on by strong winds of up to 90 km per hour and resulted in poor visibility for about half an hour.
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An apocalyptic dust storm descended on a rural Victorian town, plunging it into darkness in a matter of minutes
The dust storm rolled across Mildura in Victoria's north-west about 5pm, darkening the town and reducing visibility
'North-west Victoria and South Australia have been very dry and we had a very dry start to the year and even though there was a little bit of rain recently, obviously it was not enough to put a lid on that dust being whipped up,' Ms Johnson said.
Dust storms are more common during summer months but because there is still so much dry land around due to rural drought, the strong winds picked up the dust.
A severe weather warning was put in place for Mildura, Ouyen, Walpeup, Robinvale and Birchip.
The State Emergency Service urged people to move vehicles away from trees, secure outdoor items and keep clear of fallen power lines.
Mildura resident Brando Smith told The Age the sky went from clear to grey, then orange, then pitch black - all within 15 minutes.
'We heard it was coming at about 4.55pm and by the time we came out we could see the massive orange cloud coming across,' Ms Smith said.
Dust storms are more common during summer months but because there is still so much dry land around, the strong winds picked up the dust
The State Emergency Service urged people to move vehicles away from trees, secure outdoor items and keep clear of fallen power lines
'Then the whole town went pitch black. All the cars started going really slowly when the orange came across. Then the street lights came on and we could only see headlights so everyone was driving at snail's pace.'
An Antarctic cold front is set to bring an wintry chill across Australia in coming days with temperatures up to 10C lower than average.
Two cold fronts will make their way across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania this week, and their effects are expected to linger well into the weekend.
Rain, storms, hail and even snow in some places are expected - with Canberra tipped to dip below freezing on the weekend.
An Antarctic cold front is set to bring an icy chill right across Australia - with temperatures as much as 10C lower than average (stock image)
Two cold fronts will make their way across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania this week (stock
