MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - A dust storm that kicked up in southern Australia and engulfed the New South Wales state on Wednesday could reach Brisbane and even New Zealand, regional media reported.

Winds up to 90km/h brought a thick orange hue to the skies over NSW as the dust storm moved east across the state. Flights to and from Sydney Airport have been affected, and authorities have raised concerns for people suffering from chronic respiratory problems, the Press and the New Zealand Herald said.

Strong winds kicked up on Tuesday afternoon, exacerbating drought conditions in far western NSW, whisking up dust and dirt from the already scorched earth, reports said.

"It (the dust) covers a big area of the state and certainly the eastern half of the state at the moment is under that," papers quoted the Bureau of Meteorology's regional director Barry Hanstrum as telling the AAP.

"And it looks as if it will continue to move up through the Northern Rivers area during today and maybe even make it into Brisbane at some time," Hanstrum said.

"And likewise with this one, there's a fair chance that it will keep going out into the Tasman Sea and it won't dissipate quickly," he said. "They may see some effects of reduced visibility as far east as New Zealand."

Meteorologists said the storm would gradually leave the region by Thursday afternoon.