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A severe weather warning has been issued for parts of WA that will bring “destructive wind gusts and heavy rainfall” beginning on Saturday evening.
Senior Meteorologist Ilana Cherny released the forecast on Saturday morning, warning that communities should prepare for potential “property damage, power outages, and coastal erosion”.
The severe weather warning extends from Kalbarri in the north, down to the south-west of WA with thunderstorms and showers expected to begin on Saturday evening, with damaging winds expected on Sunday.
Cherny then said a “second burst of very strong winds” will impact everywhere south-west of a line from about Lancelin to Albany from Sunday evening through to Monday morning.
Severe thunderstorms are expected with the system, including tornadoes “which, if they develop, would be very fast moving and short-lived”.
She added that “with such a strong system” waves up to 8 metres were expected on Sunday and inland there is likely to be property damage and trees down.
“We could also see some power lines down, which could lead to some extended power outages, and with those coastal conditions that we’re expecting, we’re looking at dangerous surf coastal erosion, as well as the chance of some inundation of low-lying coastal areas,” she said.
The strongest winds are expected to impact the south-west on Sunday evening and continue until Monday morning.
“On Monday, the low-pressure system will continue to move east with those showers and storms also extending into southern and south-eastern Australia,” Cherny said.
“So, on Monday, we not only have the risk of ongoing showers and storms through south-west Western Australia, some of those gusty storms will also extend into South Australia before moving further southeast into the new week.”
Cherny said it was a ‘deep’ low-pressure system approaching the coast that was bringing the extreme weather to WA, which is only seen “on average, once every few years”.
The cold front will then move east, she said, across the lower parts of the state.
Cherny warned that this was an unfolding situation and told residents to keep up to date with forecasts and warnings.
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