Dust storm sweeps over Sydney.

A PALL of red dust blown in from the Outback clogged the skies over Sydney today, diverting flights, disrupting transport and prompting a rise in emergency calls from people suffering breathing difficulties.

No-one was reported hurt as a result of dust storms sweeping a vast swath of eastern Australia, but officials closed ferry services on Sydney Harbour because visibility was cut to dangerous levels, and police in two states warned motorists to take extra care on the roads.

"It felt like Armageddon because when I was in the kitchen looking out the skylight, there was this red glow coming through," Sydney resident Karen told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.

Dust storms were reported today along Australia's heavily populated eastern coast, from Ulladulla, south of Sydney, to Brisbane, about 620 miles north.

Other areas in the southeast were hit earlier this week.

The storms - visible as a huge brown smudge in satellite photographs of Australia today - are the most severe since the 1940s, experts said.

International flights to Sydney were being diverted to other state capitals because of visibility problems caused by the dust.

Three flights from New Zealand were turned back from Sydney, Air New Zealand said.

CAPTION(S):

Simply red: A commuter walks to work past an almost unseen Sydney Harbour Bridge during a dust storm which swept in today.