WA and Perth storm forecast: Residents assess damage as powerful winds continue to batter city

The weather system that unleashed destructive winds across WA was one of the deepest low-pressure systems to hit the State in years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The powerful front generated widespread damaging and destructive winds across the South West, with wind gusts peaking at 135km/h at Cape Naturaliste and 133km/h at Cape Leeuwin.

Busselton recorded gusts of 120km/h, while Perth was battered by winds reaching 93km/h.

Meteorologists said the tightly packed pressure gradient around the system created the extreme conditions that caused widespread damage, flooding and power outages across the region.

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In its latest update at 10am, the Bureau of Meteorology said that areas east of Albany and south of Kalgoorlie remained in the firing line, with sustained winds of 60km/h to 70km/h and gusts reaching 100km/h.

Forecasters warned the severe weather system could still bring down trees and power lines, causing further property damage and power outages.

The low-pressure system responsible for the destruction is gradually moving east, with conditions expected to ease later in the aternoon.

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Among those caught up in the chaos was The West Australian journalist Craig O’Donoghue, who was aboard QF941 from Brisbane.

The flight left Brisbane at 4.20pm Perth time and was due to land at Perth Airport at 9.55pm.

Instead, passengers found themselves touching down in Kalgoorlie shortly before 10pm after the aircraft was unable to safely land in Perth.

“You join me from Kalgoorlie,” O’Donoghue said in a video posted from aircraft.

“It is a dramatic night with the storm throughout Perth.”

Passengers remained aboard while the aircraft was refuelled, with hopes of returning to Perth later that night.

“We’ve been here for about 20 minutes and the captain says we’re just refuelling and we’ll hopefully land back in Perth around midnight, which makes this one hell of a long flight,” he said.

Other travellers were not as fortunate.

O’Donoghue said passengers from several diverted services were being taken off their aircraft and appeared set to spend the night in Kalgoorlie.

“There are other passengers from other planes who are getting off and staying here,” he said.

The storm also threatened to create crew shortages, with concerns flight crews could exceed their permitted working hours before making it back to Perth.

“There’s a fair chance the crew next to me won’t be coming on this flight as well because they might have to finish their shift,” O’Donoghue said.

In the end, O’Donoghue’s flight landed in Perth at 12.10am on Monday.

At least four flights were diverted to Kalgoorlie, while several others were forced to make multiple landing attempts before eventually touching down safely in Perth.

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DFES duty chief superintendent Matt Folini said conditions during the height of the storm made it too dangerous for some crews to immediately respond, particularly with powerful winds still lashing affected areas.

“There’s a lot of work for those teams and they do an amazing job,” he said.

“It’s really difficult to get out during those periods. There’s an elevated risk not only for volunteer and DFES staff, but especially for Western Power crews trying to restore services in those high-wind scenarios.”

Mr Folini said authorities had to wait for conditions to ease before sending workers into some damaged areas.

While conditions had improved across Perth on Monday morning, parts of the South West were still experiencing challenging weather.

Mr Folini thanked the public for heeding warnings and staying away from dangerous areas.

“The support we’ve had from the community by avoiding those risks has been fantastic,” he said.

The response saw the State Operations Centre, Metro Operations Centre and surge call centres activated, with emergency services staff and volunteers deployed across multiple regions.

“It was all hands on deck,” Mr Folini told 6PR.

“All staff and volunteers did a fantastic job to get us through.”

Emergency services have responded to hundreds of calls for assistance, while Western Power crews continue working to reconnect tens of thousands of homes and businesses left without electricity.

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Authorities say the best source of information is the Storm Watch and Act page on the Emergency WA website, which is being regularly updated with the latest warnings and recovery efforts.

The page includes details on road closures, emergency service responses, power outages and restoration works being carried out across affected areas.

People are being encouraged to check the website regularly as conditions and recovery operations continue to evolve throughout the day.

The ​website can be found here​.

The powerful system unleashed destructive winds across WA, with a record 135km/h gust recorded at Cape Leeuwin as the cold front swept through.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Joey Rawson said conditions had eased significantly across the west coast.

“The worst is over,” he told 6PR Breakfast.

“Even in the areas that still have warnings in place, we’re not going to see the gusts that we’ve seen over the last 24 hours.”

Mr Rawson said the weather system was now moving into South Australia and was expected to weaken as it tracked east.

Emergency crews are working through hundreds of calls for help after a destructive storm left almost 69,000 homes and businesses without power across WA.

The severe weather system triggered widespread damage, with roofs torn apart, trees brought down and properties flooded across Perth and the South West.

DFES duty chief superintendent Matt Folini said emergency services had received nearly 700 requests for assistance.

“It’s about trying to support residents and families with any water ingress, loose tiles and that sort of thing,” he told 6PR.

“We can put tarps on roofs, help secure debris, so it’s about restoring that normality within the home.”

Western Power said the majority of affected customers were expected to be reconnected by 7pm on Monday as crews raced to repair damaged infrastructure.

The wild weather caused chaos in the skies over Perth on Sunday night, with multiple flights diverted and several aircraft forced to make repeated attempts to land as strong winds lashed the city.

At least four flights were diverted to Kalgoorlie after conditions at Perth Airport deteriorated during the peak of the storm.

Virgin Australia flight VA1728 from Karratha was sent to Kalgoorlie before eventually arriving in Perth at 10.47pm.

TransNusa flight 8B82 from Denpasar was also diverted, touching down in Perth at 11.59pm after the delay.

Qantas flight QF651 from Sydney was diverted to Kalgoorlie and remained there overnight, while QF941 from Brisbane eventually landed in Perth at 12.09am on Monday.

Other aircraft battled turbulent conditions and were forced to abandon initial landing attempts before safely touching down.

Qantas flight QF16547 from Port Hedland landed on its second attempt, as did Albany service AL851 and Virgin Australia flight VA1892 from Newman.

International arrivals were also affected, with AirAsia flight AK606 from Kuala Lumpur and Scoot flight TR004 from Singapore both requiring second attempts before landing safely in Perth.

The disruptions came as a powerful cold front swept across the metropolitan area, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and widespread power outages.

Warnings for abnormally high tides and hazardous surf remain in place from Geraldton to Albany, including Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Margaret River and Esperance.

Authorities say powerful swells and dangerous coastal conditions could continue throughout today, with people urged to stay away from beaches, rock walls and exposed coastal areas.

The warning comes after a powerful cold front generated massive seas and strong winds across the coast overnight.