Perth: Tens of thousands of residents across Western Australia were impacted as a powerful storm battered the state’s west coast, causing widespread damage, power outages, and dangerous weather conditions.
Authorities warned that the most severe impacts of the weather system were still expected to occur later in the day. The intense low-pressure system was forecast to generate destructive wind gusts of up to 125km/h across Perth and several coastal communities in Western Australia.
Images of storm damage quickly circulated on social media, including photographs from Mandurah showing a shed apparently blown into a swimming pool by the strong winds.
Severe Weather Update: Wind, storms in #WA today before moving to south-east Aus.
Video current as of 11:00am AWST Sunday 31 May 2026.
Know your weather. Know your risk. For the latest forecasts and warnings, go to our website https://t.co/HFiUBM2uxg.auor the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/uR4hnr3gfy
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) May 31, 2026
The storm caused widespread power outages across Perth and surrounding areas, with utility provider Western Power reporting that approximately 10,000 customers statewide were left without electricity. Most affected customers were expected to have power restored by mid-afternoon as crews responded to storm-related disruptions.
The storm intensified throughout May 31 morning, with wind gusts reaching 107km/h at Busselton Jetty and 102km/h on Rottnest Island. A severe weather warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology at 11am AWST warned that destructive storm winds exceeding 125km/h were likely across the state’s south-west, including Perth, during Sunday afternoon and evening.
As the storm approached, authorities urged residents to prepare by closing curtains, remaining indoors, and staying away from windows. Residents were also advised to secure loose outdoor items such as furniture and trampolines that could become dangerous projectiles during the storm.
Luke Huntington, a duty forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology, urged residents to stay inside when the strongest storm winds arrive and avoid travelling on roads due to the risk of fallen trees and downed power lines.
Huntington added that the storm was a significant weather event that does not occur every year and stressed that the destructive winds posed the greatest threat.
Although the threat of heavy rainfall from the storm eased on Sunday, significant rainfall had already been recorded across parts of the state. Ludlow, about 200 kilometres south of Perth, received more than 43mm of rain within two hours on Saturday night as the storm moved through the region.
Authorities warned that storm-related hazards would continue, with damaging surf conditions and unusually high tides expected along the coast. Areas affected by the storm warning included Albany, Bunbury, Esperance, Katanning, Mandurah, Manjimup, Margaret River and Perth.
Forecasters said the storm system is expected to continue moving eastward, with the risk of damaging storm winds shifting towards south-eastern Western Australia on June 1.
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