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Australia
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Wild storm lashes Perth, as ex-Tropical Cyclone Mangga uproots trees and causes power outages in Western Australia

  • Emergency services began cleaning up Perth on Monday after the storm uprooted trees, caused floods and saw roofs ripped off
  • More than 390 calls for assistance have been made to the state’s emergency services since Sunday

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Damaged shops seen in the Perth suburb of Bedford on May 25, 2020. Photo: AFP
Reutersanddpa
Wild weather uprooted trees and left tens of thousands of people without power in Western Australia, as emergency services began cleaning up in Perth on Monday after some of the most extreme weather in a decade.
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Wind speeds of up to 132kmh were registered at Cape Leeuwin, one of the state’s most southwesterly points early on Monday, the strongest May gusts in 15 years, according to the Australia Broadcasting Corp.

“Some wild weather has affected large parts of WA, causing widespread damage and large-scale power outages. Please listen to the advice of emergency services and stay safe everyone,” Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on social media.
A woman and her son walk past a fallen tree in Perth on May 25, 2020. Photo: AFP
A woman and her son walk past a fallen tree in Perth on May 25, 2020. Photo: AFP

The wild weather is a result of a weather system generated from ex-tropical cyclone Mangga, which has been downgraded but brought a cold front that swept through the region, according to the bureau.

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Such weather event in late May is rare as the cyclone season in Australia officially ends on April 30.

Around 50,000 customers were without power on Monday due to storm-related outages, utility Western Power said, as the remnants of Cyclone Mangga hit a cold front and brought squalling rain and emergency level storm warnings to the south of the state.

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