Perth weather: Perth buckles down as a wild storm brews on the horizon

Authorities have urged West Australians to sandbag their homes and “be prepared”, as the State braces for more flooding and wild weather tomorrow.

The severe storm, described as a “twice-in-a-year event” by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, is expected to deliver damaging 100km/h winds and up to 40mm of rain from Exmouth to Albany.

It is the fifth cold front to hit Perth in just eight days, with DFES Duty Assistant Commissioner Danny Mosconi warning conditions may be worse than Friday’s intense downpour that left homes and businesses flooded and roads turned in to rivers.

“We’ve had a really busy start to winter. There’s a lot of ground water, a lot of the drains are already blocked and so there really may not be anywhere for the water to go,” he said.

“Until it comes through, we won’t really know (the damage it will cause), but there’s potential for this to be one of the more significant events.”

Mr Mosconi said Friday had been one of the busiest days on record for SES in the metro area, with more than 2800 calls and 500 responses to call-outs for help.

WA Bureau of Meteorology State manager James Ashley said Perth recorded around 108mm of rain in the past 10 days, making it the wettest start to July since 1965.

The State is expected to record another 20 to 40mm of rain in the next 24 hours, and the Hills area is expected to be particular vulnerable to flooding.

However, Mr Ashley said the intensity of the rain will not be as strong as that of Friday, with gusty winds expected to cause much of the damage.

“I think one of the main concerns for us and for DFES is that with all the rainfall we’ve had so far, it may mean some trees will be unstable in the ground and there may be some more potential for trees to fall over,” he said.

“Once those gusts reach 100km/h we’ll also start seeing branches falling off trees.

“There may be a bit of a lull (later in the morning), as far as winds go, but by the time the afternoon comes around we’re experting the wind storm to pick up again and it’ll be particularly blustery ... it’ll be a pretty miserable afternoon.”

Mr Mosconi urged residents living in low-lying areas to stock up on sandbags from their local hardware stores, tie down any loose objects and prune any overhanging branches around their properties.

For those who are unable to obtain sandbags, there will be limited emergency supplies at the Cockburn and Gosnsells SES stations, the West Swan Bushfire Brigade station and Butler Reserves in Scarborough.

PERTH FORECAST

Sunday — max 19C, mostly sunny

Monday — min 9C max 20C, showers and possible storm (15-25mm rain)

Tuesday — min 12C max 19C, showers and possible storm (10-15mm rain)

Wednesday — min 11C max 18C, showers (8-15mm rain)

Thursday — min 9C max 16C, showers (6-10mm rain)

Friday — min 7C max 18C, shower or two (1-2mm rain)

Saturday — min 7C max 17C, shower or two (0-2mm rain)