Thousands without power in Western Australia

Stormy weather has been battering parts of Western Australia over the last few days, including the state capital of Perth.

The strongest winds have been along the coast, where gusts of 100kph have been reported. These have brought down trees and power lines, causing power cuts for thousands of residents, and a major hazard as some power cables were strewn on the footpaths.

There were a number of traffic accidents, caused by the severe weather, and several roads were forced to close, including part of the Goldfield’s Highway, which is approximately 600km from the west coast of Australia.

Perth reported just over 66mm of rain in the last 48 hours, which is nearly three-quarters of their average rainfall that’s expected in the entire month.

Despite the downpours in some locations, some parts of the region have been disappointed with the amount of rainfall. The farmers in the eastern Wheatbelt, which surrounds Perth, were hoping for at least 20mm, but instead only received around 5mm.

The showers are expected to ease over the next few days, and the majority of the weekend should be dry.