A suspected tornado in Western Australia’s southwest has left a trail of destruction in its wake – with roofs ripped from homes and powerlines downed.
A huge cold front swept through Western Australia’s southwest bringing winds in excess of 120km/h on Monday evening.
A Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesman said a tornado or microburst could not be ruled out during the storm even in the Bunbury area.
“The current evidence is not adequate to make a confirmation,” a spokesman said.
Meteorologists are examining radar and damage report to find if there is adequate evidence to determine the exact weather event that caused the damage.
A severe weather warning for damaging winds issued for the South West and South Coastal areas on Monday and was active until 3.45am the following morning.
BOM recorded damaging wind gusts of 124km/h at the Busselton Jetty just before 2am on Tuesday.
Damaging wind gusts were observed with this front, with the strongest observed gust 124km/hr at 1:57am WST at Busselton Jetty.
“Initial assessments indicate a wind event in Bunbury occurred about 7.30-8pm on Monday night, with reports of resulting localised damage,” a spokesman said.
Emergency services were called to several incidents in the Bunbury area including calls for help from people whose roofs had been damaged and trees had come down.
Social media posts warned residents power lines had come down near a major shopping centre leaving about 170 homes and businesses without power.
A City of Bunbury spokesman said on Facebook authorities woke to see the impact of Monday night’s storm across the city.
“We know that weather events like this can be unsettling, particularly for those in our community still carrying the effects of the tornado and storms two years ago,” a spokesman said.
“If you were impacted or are feeling anxious, please know you’re not alone, and please check in on your neighbours, especially anyone who may be vulnerable or living alone.”
Another cold front is expected to hit Western Australia’s coastline again on Wednesday evening.
