Chaotic scenes in Melbourne as city – and Australian Open – covered in mud due to bushfire-effected rain
There were chaotic – and surely unprecedented – scenes at the Australian Open on Thursday, when play had to be delayed due to it raining mud from the skies above Melbourne.
The weather in Australian has played havoc with the scheduling for the first Grand Slam of the year, with nearby bushfires prompting a number of challenges, largely down to air quality concerns.
However, it went to a more biblical level on Thursday, with play having to be delayed on the outer courts due to dirt raining from the skies and muddying the hardcourts at Melbourne Park.
Australian Open forecast didn’t mention this: raining water mixed with dirt and flying trash hazards. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/bT6YTpxmcG
— ?? Roaring decade of Cert ?? (@Certainium) January 22, 2020
The rain puddles in Melbourne tonight. Streaks of red dust on clothes. This is not normal. Time to act… #ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/dwrjKZEOB8
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 22, 2020
Amazing view of the Yarra River this morning, following last night’s heavy rain & dust storm ?: @PizaMatt pic.twitter.com/3ozVEU7lOF
— Alicia Muling (@AliciaMuling9) January 22, 2020
Play actually now suspended until 2pm on a large number of courts. Some of them are in quite a mess. With the benefit of hindsight, surprised that covers weren’t put over the courts last night.
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 23, 2020
Cars were covered in dust and combined with the rain made for a muddy start to the day. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/notapRXhXo
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 22, 2020
The Australian Open official twitter account confirmed Melbourne Park had been affected early in the morning.
“Due to the rain and dust overnight the outside courts need high pressure cleaning, which is currently underway,” they said.
Meanwhile, ABC weather presenter Nate Byrne attempted to explain the strange phenomenon, saying the dust was picked up by a cold front and dragged down from South Australia and north-west Victoria.
“Rain is always a little bit dirty because at the heart of every single rain drop, and in fact every single particle or bit of water in the cloud, is a tiny little bit of either dust or bacteria or something,” he said.
“Water doesn’t like to condense out of being a gas into a liquid unless it’s on something so it did it on the dust and then as the rain drops fell from this cold front they bumped into more dust on the way down it just got really muddy.”
Play got underway on time on this indoor courts, however, with Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal the headline acts on day four of the competition.
Keep up to date with all the action at our tennis news section. Win amazing tennis prizes by entering our competitions. Learn more about your favourite players including Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Check out the latest kit in our tennis gear reviews. Receive regular updates with our legendary newsletter or read in depth features with stunning photography in tennishead magazine. Can’t visit the tournaments you love? Check out our guide on how to watch tennis on TV. Don’t miss a thing with our Live Scores service. Follow tennishead on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
