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WA’s super storm wreaks havoc as SES receives more than 400 calls for help

Headshot of Sarah Steger
Sarah StegerThe West Australian
Video7News Meteorologist Tony Auden explains what caused the super storm that hit WA

State Emergency Services have been fielding hundreds of calls as WA’s super storm continues to wreak havoc across WA.

Since the onset of the wild weather, SES crews have responded to more than 420 calls for help across WA, at least 227 of which came from the Perth metropolitan area.

While most of the calls for assistance, which have come "from all over the state", have related to damaged roofs, fallen trees, structural damage and water ingress, a Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said crews were currently responding to reports of a East Victoria Park property's large tin roof "flapping" in the wind.

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The soaring tides have left Perth’s beloved blue boat shed partly submerged, with its connecting jetty now completely under water.

Perth’s beloved blue boat shed has been partially submerged.
Camera IconPerth’s beloved blue boat shed has been partially submerged.

The Instagram hotspot is among several boat sheds and jetties on or along the water’s edge in Perth that could be inundated with water during high tide today.

While in the north, a tree narrowly missed landing on a car parked in the driveway of a Greenwood home.

A fallen tree narrowly misses a car in Greenwood.
Camera IconA fallen tree narrowly misses a car in Greenwood. Credit: 7News

Campbell Primary School in Canningvale was also hit hard. Strong winds causing trees to fall across the school’s grounds, crushing fences.

Fences have been destroyed by falling trees at Campbell Primary School in Canningvale.
Camera IconFences have been destroyed by falling trees at Campbell Primary School in Canningvale. Credit: The West Australian

The wind also whipped the sea into a frenzy, creating huge waves which crashed over North Beach Jetty.

Waves lash North Beach Jetty.
Camera IconWaves lash North Beach Jetty. Credit: 7News

The wild weather has also caused chaos on Perth’s roads.

Flooding along the Perth Foreshore has forced authorities to close Riverside Drive at Victoria Avenue going westbound. A single lane is open from the Causeway, with eastbound traffic largely unaffected.

More than 50,000 households woke up without power this morning, with at least 45,000 of the outages continuing on from the night before.

Western Power said damaging and destructive winds threw debris, including tree branches, into the network - damaging equipment and bringing down powerlines.

In the Kalgoorlie suburb of Piccadilly, a backyard shed ended up in a sub station in the suburb - knocking out power to 15,000 homes.

A shed is blown into a sub station in Kalgoorlie.
Camera IconA shed is blown into a sub station in Kalgoorlie.

The most heavily affected metropolitan suburbs include Beckenham, East Cannington, Kenwick, Bayswater, Bassendean, Mirrabooka, Dianella and Malaga.

The West Australian was told the Bureau of Meteorology's current Severe Weather Warning for damaging, locally destructive winds and abnormally high tides would remain in place along parts of the west coast until this afternoon.

It is expected to be lifted in Perth and further north by this afternoon, as conditions continue to ease.

"If there are severe conditions in Perth this morning, it'll be a little more isolated than yesterday," duty forecaster Bob Tarr said.

Areas most at risk from damaging winds this morning include

Perth, Bunbury, Busselton and Albany.

These winds, averaging at 80 to 90km/h with peak gusts of about 130km/h, are expected to ease by the early afternoon.

Mr Tarr said the storm had definitely lived up to the expectations of authorities, with wind gusts topping 132km/h in some parts of the state including at Cape Leeuwin - making it the strongest wind recorded in May since 2005.

"There's been a pretty significant impact from the storm and it's not over yet," he said.

Wind gusts hit 116km/h at Cape Naturaliste, where the swell hit 8m.

Similarly large seas were recorded at Rottnest Island, where the swell reached 6.5m overnight, and many coastal locations between Kalbarri and Geographe Bay have recorded tides exceeding the highest tides of the year.

"There's been a lot of beach erosion. There'll be significantly less beach today than there was before the storm," Mr Tarr said.

Abnormally high river conditions are expected in Perth this morning, during high tide, with some flooding likely.

"Barrack Street Jetty is already above the highest astronomical tide this morning," Mr Tarr said.

"We're expecting a bit of inundation at high tide today."

The severe weather warning has already been cancelled in Kalgoorlie, Leinster and Leonara, where conditions have eased.

The once-in-a-decade storm is far from over along WA's south coastal areas, however, where damaging winds and high tides are forecast to continue until midday tomorrow.

Residents in coastal areas between Kalbarri and Augusta are specifically warned of the potential of a dangerous storm tide, extending to Albany throughout the day.

Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark, with damaging waves and dangerous flooding.

Damaging surf conditions are expected to continue for coastal parts between Denham and Israelite Bay into Tuesday.

In terms of rain, some notable rainfalls include Margaret River, where 51.8mm has been recorded since Sunday, Wilyabrup (47.4mm), Duggans near Margaret River (51.6mm) and Harman South Road (50mm).

A weather warning is still in place for people in Lower West, South West, South Coastal, South East Coastal, Great Southern and parts of Goldfields, Central West and Central Wheat Belt districts.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services advises people should still take extreme care and caution.

If your home or property has significant damage, like a badly damaged roof or flooding, call the SES on 132 500.

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