A rare and rapidly deepening low-pressure system, described by meteorologists as a 'bombing low,' struck the southwest coast of Western Australia around June 1.
Wind gusts of up to 135 kilometres per hour hit Perth and surrounding coastal communities. Roofs were ripped from buildings across suburbs south of the CBD. Offshore wave heights exceeded eight metres, and abnormally high tides caused a storm surge that flooded sections of the Perth CBD, stranding cars and submerging walkways.
Tens of thousands of households lost power across southern Western Australia. Western Power reported approximately 1,300 separate network incidents as crews worked through the night.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the system's central pressure fell to near 980 hectopascals, a depth reached in the region only every three to five years on average. Warning areas extended from Kalbarri southward through the Lower West and South West districts to the southeast coast.
Threats included damaging to destructive wind gusts, severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, isolated tornadoes, and very large waves. The BOM issued simultaneous warnings covering marine, coastal and inland areas.
After passing through Western Australia, the system tracked east and brought severe weather to South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales over the following two days.
