Areas around Hay, Ivanhoe, White Cliffs and west of Griffith were covered in a blanket of dust during the storm, with the White Cliffs Hotel posting a video of the event which has already been viewed more than 100,000 times.

For the dust and bluster, there wasn’t much of a silver lining for farmers, with reports of just four millimetres of rain falling at one property near Booligal, north of Hay.

The Bureau of Meteorology said predicted north-westerly winds through NSW on Thursday could result in a dust storm through the west which may also impact Canberra and Sydney.

A low pressure system currently in the Great Australian Bight is likely to bring a dramatic shift for south-east Australia, the BoM said.

It is set to hit South Australia on Wednesday, with damaging winds across the southern half of the state as it moves east into NSW.

“As these strong winds reach further inland, they could kick up areas of raised dust through the Pastoral Districts and western NSW,” BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said.

“Dust storms may reach as far as the coast on Thursday, including Sydney and Canberra, and strong winds will also lead to elevated fire dangers for eastern New South Wales.”

Most of the Riverina has been drought declared as dry conditions tighten their grip across much of the state.

While some rain is predicted on Wednesday and a slight chance on Thursday, it will not be enough to quell the fears of firefighters.

The Bureau of Meteorology reports there will be a chance of thunderstorms in central parts of NSW on Wednesday and temperatures are likely to drop 5-10 degrees below average for this time of year.

But, it is the predicted strong, gusty winds that are a concern for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS).

The south west slopes and eastern, northern, and southern Riverina fire areas are all marked with a high fire danger rating for Thursday, however the RFS has urged people to keep up-to-date with conditions in their area by visiting www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.

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