Residents in the southern suburbs of Perth were taken aback as a “mini tornado” tore through their neighborhood, part of a larger severe weather system that brought heavy rainfall and destructive winds to various parts of Western Australia (WA).
The most severely affected areas were in the southern region of the state, with Busselton Airport recording a substantial 91 millimeters of rain, and Pemberton, located further inland, recording 50 millimeters. This onslaught of weather resulted in roofs being ripped off and trees being uprooted.
A Rockingham resident, Amanda McCue, described her shock as she believed a “mini tornado” had stormed through her neighborhood, sending debris flying. It peeled the roof off her patio, removed tiles from her roof, and even brought portions of her ceiling crashing down. We also recommend you to find out Marrakech Minaret Disaster Shakes.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning about a robust cold front making its way across the southwest, steadily progressing eastward across the southern region of the state throughout the day.
There’s a slight risk of destructive wind gusts exceeding 125 kilometers per hour in parts of the eastern Central Wheat Belt, southern Gascoyne, and western Goldfields districts during the afternoon.
The damaging wind threat is expected to gradually diminish from the west and fall below severe thresholds by midnight.Locations at risk include Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Katanning, Merredin, Mount Barker, Mount Magnet, and Norseman.
By Wednesday afternoon, the State Emergency Service (SES) had received more than 150 calls for assistance since midnight, with nearly a quarter of them coming from the Rockingham area, which experienced flash flooding and wind gusts resembling a tornado according to some residents.
Main Roads reported instances of flash flooding on several roads, and there were multiple reports of trees toppling over onto roadways.
Meteorologist Dean Narramore from the Bureau of Meteorology cautioned that regions such as the Wheatbelt and Goldfields could see strong winds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour as the front moved inland in the afternoon. This could result in damage to property, trees, and power lines.
Morawa, located about an hour’s drive inland from the coast in WA’s Mid West, recorded a gust of 109 kilometers per hour at 12:37 p.m., while a gust of 93 kilometers per hour was noted at Perth Airport.
Notable wind gusts included 128 kilometers per hour at Rottnest Island just before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, and a gust of 113 kilometers per hour recorded at Garden Island. we also recommend you to check out Tragic Passing of Reality TV Star Charlie Newling.
Perth and the South West region experienced heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms as a cold front swept through parts of the state. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds and locally destructive winds along the west coast.
Duty forecaster Luke Huntington from The Bureau of Meteorology mentioned that the winds were expected to continue moving through the metropolitan area during the afternoon. While the risk of damaging winds would decrease after the front passed, the afternoon would likely remain wet and windy.