WA weather: Storm warning issued for Gascoyne, Perth as region swelters through first 40C day in ten months

Over 15,000 homes across Perth were plunged into darkness on Wednesday night as the State’s power grid struggled to keep up with sweltering temperatures.

Unplanned outages were first reported around 5.40pm for residents in South Perth, Kensington and Victoria Park, impacting at least 2939 people, before it was restored a short time later.

In parts of Scarborough, Karrinyup, Innaloo, Trigg, Wembley Downs and Woodlands, 11,634 people were without power as of 6pm on Wednesday.

Over 9000 homes across the northern suburbs were still without electricity — and air conditioning — at the time of publication.

“Unplanned outages are an interruption to the transmission or distribution of electricity that is unscheduled,” Western Power said on their website.

“We endeavour to resolve issues and minimise impact as soon as we can.”

Over 630 homes in Karrawara and Waterford were turned dark at one point, with restorations across the metropolitan area not scheduled until at least 10pm for the majority of suburbs.

The mercury in Perth rose past 40C for the first time since February 19 this year — hitting 40.4C at 2.48pm.

Pearce reached a scorching 43C at 2.41pm while the Swan Valley reached a max of 42C.

Meteorologist Angeline Prasad at the Bureau of Meteorology said the bout of hot weather is unusual for this early in December.

“The average daytime temperature for Perth is about 30C and today it topped 40, so it’s fairly hot for this time of the year,” she said.

“A West coast trough is bringing in hot north-easterly winds in central parts of the State, and that’s what is causing these high temperatures.”

Some reprieve is on the way, with Ms Prasad reassuring “We will see a gradual easing of these very hot temperatures in the coming days.”

Extreme temperatures have prompted RSPCA WA to remind West Aussies to keep their furry friends in mind as summer heats up.

An RSPCA WA spokesperson said the shelter had received reports of dogs beings left in cars at shopping centres and being walked during the heat of the day.

“We had a report of a dog left in a caravan with no air con — it was rescued vomiting and suffering from other signs of heatstroke,” she said.

To avoid these extreme cases, pet owners are urged to bring their animals inside, or at least provide shade to outdoor areas.

West Australians are also advised to give animals access to fresh water at all times, to walk dogs early in the morning or late in the evening and to never leave pets unaccompanied in a hot vehicle.

Thunderstorms could be added to the fiery mix of weather across WA, with severe weather forecast for parts of the Midwest Gascoyne and Perth Metropolitan regions.

Emergency WA issued a storm advice about 1:30pm to warn residents of forecast damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding.

Residents in Moora, Badgingarra, Dongara, and Eneabba are advised to follow the below directions.

• Pack away, secure or tie down outdoor furniture, trampolines and other loose items around your home that could be picked up and thrown by strong winds.
• Prepare an emergency kit with a radio that runs off batteries, a torch, spare batteries and a first aid kit. For more information visit emergency.wa.gov.au/prepare.

Perth Weather forecast:

Thursday: Max 35C, min 23C and sunny with light winds.

Friday: Max 31C, min 22C and partly cloudy with a chance of a shower.

Saturday: Max 28C, min 18C cloud clearing and light winds.

Sunday: Max 24C, min 16C and partly cloudy.

Monday: Max 27C, min 14C with cloud clearing.

Tuesday: Max 37C, min 18C and sunny.

For more information on the weekly forecast visit the BoM website.