Australia is in the midst of a punishing drought that is kicking up massive dust storms and severely impacting the merino wool, wine and cattle industries. The state of Queensland was recently inundated with flood waters after the parched region received almost two weeks of rain. The flooding killed possibly hundreds of thousands of cattle.
To the south of Queensland, the state of New South Wales is still severely dry. A NASA satellite captured a dust cloud measuring over 2,000 km (1,243 miles) in length blowing over Sydney, the nearby coast, and on toward New Zealand. Photos taken from the air showcase the arid landscape and receding bodies of waters.
