FIRE & RAIN

Brown Rain Falls in Melbourne After Dust Storms Move Through Region

The dust storms in Australia could potentially make existing fires in other parts of the country worse.

Brown rain started pouring in Melbourne, Australia, after a dust storm got picked up by a front moving through the region, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. The dusty rain prompted the closure of public swimming pools and pelted cars with a mud-like residue. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Richard Carlyon said reports of brown rain were observed all around the city, with the cause being “dust storms across northern Victoria.” “Some of that dust must have been wrapped up in that front that moved through last night,” he said. “Initially, the rain was fairly light so we did get that brown or dirty rain but we've had significant rain through the night that has washed that dirty rain away.” This is reportedly the wettest January Melbourne has experienced since 1996, with 23 mm of rain falling Tuesday alone, bringing the monthly total rainfall to 114 mm. Despite the heavy rain, fires still pose a major threat to Australia. The dust storms could potentially bring dangerous winds to existing fires and cause dry lightning strikes.