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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wild storms batter W.A. coast


Authorities say it could take a week to restore power to some homes after widespread storms packing winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour lashed Western Australia's south-west. Crews are working to restore power to more than 110,000 homes after the storms, described by the weather bureau as a "once in a decade" event, hit the region on Sunday.
An area roughly the size of the state of Victoria was affected, with the coastal towns of Mandurah and Rockingham the worst hit.
The Rottnest Express ferry battles a large swell as it heads to Rottnest Island, off 
the coast of Perth, on June 11, 2012, in the wake of the fierce storm that swept
through south-west Western Australia on June 10 photograph  submitted: Guy Bailey

A fallen tree lies across Forrest Grove Road, near Witchcliffe in south-west Western Australia.
(ABC News: Katie Franklin)

Emergency services officers walk through a video store destroyed by a tornado which swept through Perth's northern suburbs. (ABC TV)

A cyclist battles along a flooded bike path next to the Swan River in Perth on June 11, 2012, in the wake of the fierce storm that battered south-west Western Australia on June 10

A tree lies across a car in the Perth suburb of Winthrop after a fierce storm tore through south-west Western Australia on June 10, 2012

14 comments:

momto8 said...

oh my gosh! what powerful storms!!

JohnD said...

Yes! Even the east coast has been getting some wild weather!

Cindy@NorthofWiarton said...

Wow those were crazy high winds

JohnD said...

The coastal strip was the hardest hit but it pushed inland up to 400km.

Unknown said...

Great photo of the Rottness Ferry my hubby took that on sunday'Douwe Hoeksema.Thanks John...

LindaG said...

Sorry to hear about the bad weather. The ferries here do not run during weather like that.
I hope this is not a preview of weather to come!

AstridsSoapbox said...

Yep...my friend in a suburb of Sydney suffered through a huge tornado blast a couple of weeks ago. The cost of repairing the mile wide swathe of destruction was in the millions...what on earth is happening in this world?

JohnD said...

I picked that photo off ABC News - great shot isn't it? Glad I wasn't riding on it!

JohnD said...

Weather is a bit topsy turvey - but then we've just come out of 20 years of drought - I don't know why that ferry was out there but I'm sure they had a reason as it is unusual to see them in those kind of seas.

JohnD said...

Astrid, I don't think this weather is "strange"! I think it just reflects the pattern change from a long period of drought. I saw a report last night that said El Nino effect is developing again and another dry summer can be expected.

Al said...

Wild winds for sure.

I once saw a full sized container ship pitching like that in heavy seas on the East coast.

JohnD said...

That would explain some of the 'submersible' container I saw when off-shore fishing - a real navigation hazard.

neomyrtus said...

lol - the ABC did put up my photo of the cyclist. That section of bike path is notorious for flooding during storms and high tides, but that day it was ridiculously deep.

JohnD said...

I am pleased to be able to replicate it in this thread - thank you!