Residents across Western Australia reported deep red and orange skies ahead of Tropical Cyclone Narelle, with images widely shared online as the system approached the coast in late March. The phenomenon was observed in areas including Shark Bay on 27 March, shortly before the arrival of stronger winds and rainfall.
According to FOX Weather, the dust altered how sunlight travelled through the atmosphere, filtering out shorter wavelengths and allowing red tones to dominate. Meteorologists said the colour change was caused by iron-rich dust lifted into the atmosphere by the cyclone's outer winds.
