PETALING JAYA, Feb 24 — George Town motorists witnessed an unusual sight during their afternoon commute last Thursday when a weather phenomenon believed to be a sandstorm swept across the island.

The incident was captured on video by a motorcyclist traveling along Gurney Drive and was then posted to the Penang Kini Facebook page.

"Sandstorm at Gurney (Drive),” the man uttered repeatedly in the clip as nearby trees bent over from the howling wind and a haze of dust and sand began swirling across the road.

Social media users immediately began speculating the cause of the sandstorm, with Boolucd Virs theorising that land reclamation projects nearby were the source.

"This is why you don’t mess with nature and claim the sea as land,” Lin Khoo commented.

Other Facebook users in the comments section gave their own accounts of Thursday’s strong winds, with Anna Liana from Bukit Tok Alang sharing how a part of her zinc roof had been torn off.

Meanwhile, Cik Puan Noor posted a photo of her outdoor table which had toppled over thanks to the chaotic weather.

The powerful gusts caused damage to a few homes on the island. — Picture via Facebook/Cik Puan Noor

Sandstorms, also known as dust storms, are meteorological phenomena that occur when strong winds kick up loose sand and dirt from dry surfaces and transport them to another location.

They are considered relatively rare in Malaysia and typically arise in areas with sizable desert regions, such as Australia and North Africa.