Take action with severe weather coming in parts of the Perth Metropolitan, Goldfields-Midlands, South West, Lower South West, Great Southern
If you live in Lower West, South West, South Coastal and parts of the Great Southern districts you should take action and stay safe with severe weather to come.
Locations which may be affected include Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Katanning, Mandurah, Manjimup, Margaret River, Mount Barker, Narrogin and Perth.
This weather is not unusual for this time of year, but could damage homes and make travel dangerous.
WHAT TO DO
DFES advises you to:
- If outside find safe shelter away from trees, powerlines, storm water drains and streams.
- Close your curtains and blinds, and stay inside away from windows.
- Unplug electrical appliances and avoid using landline telephones if there is lightning.
- If there is flooding, create your own sandbags by using pillow cases filled with sand and place them around doorways to protect your home.
- If boating, swimming or surfing leave the water.
IF DRIVING:
- Do not drive into water of unknown depth and current.
- Slow down, turn your lights on and keep a safe distance from other drivers.
- Be alert and watch for hazards on the road such as fallen powerlines and loose debris.
- If it is raining heavily and you cannot see, pull over and park with your hazard lights on until the rain clears.
- Take care in areas that have been flooded and be careful driving on gravel roads as surfaces will be slippery and muddy, and vehicles could become bogged.
People are being urged to do what they can to help themselves, if it is safe to do so, before calling the SES for assistance
WEATHER DETAILS
At 4.54am on May 29, 2020 the Bureau of Meteorology advised a cold front will move through southwest parts of WA during this morning and afternoon.
A pool of cold air behind the front will move over the south coast this evening.
This front is not as strong as the weather system which moved through Perth and western parts of WA last Sunday and Monday.
Damaging winds, averaging 60 to 70 kilometres per hour with peak gusts to around 100 kilometres per hour are possible, particularly in coastal parts south of Mandurah, and could cause damage to homes and property.
Damaging winds are forecast to develop southwest of a line from Busselton to Walpole over the next few hours, extending to southwest of a line from Mandurah to Albany by around 8am and to Perth and Bremer Bay around midday.
Conditions will ease from the west during the evening and overnight.
Squally thunderstorms are likely with the passage of the front.
Squally thunderstorms and small hail are possible, south of Bunbury to Katanning, behind the front this evening.
Heavy rainfall is possible with the passage of the cold front.
Rainfall totals of 40 to 50 millimetres are possible in the Perth hills and parts of the Southwest District.
Tides will be higher than expected between Yanchep and Mandurah. Tides between Mandurah and Albany are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark with very rough seas and potential flooding of low-lying coastal areas.
Damaging surf conditions are possible which could cause beach erosion about the southwest Capes and along the south coast to Albany. This is typical weather for this time of the year.
This front is not as strong as the weather system which moved through Perth and western parts of WA last Sunday and Monday, but winds may cause damage to property and make road conditions hazardous.
ROAD CLOSURES AND CONDITIONS
Some roads may be closed
Take extra care on the roads and do not drive into water of unknown depth and current.
Road information may also be available from Main Roads WA by calling 138 138 or visiting travelmap.mainroads.wa.gov.au or by contacting the local Shire.
WHAT EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE DOING
- DFES is monitoring the situation.
IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE
- If your home has been badly damaged by a storm, call the SES on 132 500
- In a life threatening situation call 000
After a storm SES volunteers make temporary repairs to homes that have been badly damaged, such as roofs that have been ripped off or large fallen trees on homes or cars. Please contact your insurance company to organise permanent repairs.
KEEP UP TO DATE:
Visit emergency.wa.gov.au, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Twitter: twitter.com/dfes_wa, Facebook: facebook.com/dfeswa/, listen to ABC Local Radio, 6PR, or news bulletins.
During a power outage, your home phone, computer or other electronic devices connected to the NBN will not work. Include a battery powered radio in your emergency kit.
Updates will be provided when the situation changes.
