After fire, dust and hail play havoc on Australian summer

A duststorm approaches a farm, northwest of Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia in January 19, 2020 picture obtained from social media. Jason Herbig via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Drought-ravaged parts of rural Australia have been hit by dust storms that threaten to drift over more heavily populated cities including Sydney, bringing a new element to the extreme weather that has dominated the country over summer.

The vast clouds of thick red dust have smothered inland towns such as Dubbo in the country's most populous state, New South Wales, adding to the run of unusual weather that has disrupted the country since hundreds of bushfires broke out in September.