SURFERS at Merewether, above, and other Newcastle beaches, made the most of yesterday's crystal waves and clear blue sky.
It was a dramatic contrast to the scene that greeted early morning board riders on Wednesday when the city was shrouded in red dust.
And while westerly winds and dry conditions will prevail for some time, the likelihood that the dust storm will return is low.
Anthony Cornelius from Weatherwatch said a number of factors combined to produce the exceptional conditions.
"Firstly a low pressure system moved slowly over South Australia producing strong winds over 24 to 36 hours," he said.
"As well as that Lake Eyre flooded last year which once evaporated leaves a lot of silt and dust that was picked up and blown over the east of the country.
"So a number of things came together to produce the worst dust storm in white settlement history."
But hazy conditions may be the norm for the coming weeks, the NSW Bureau of Meteorology's Jane Golding said yesterday.
"Whenever there's wind out west, they do get some dust lifted off the ground, so it's not out of the question that parts of NSW will have hazy conditions over the next few months," Ms Golding said.
A cold front on the way could mean a windy weekend.