Tens of thousands of Perth residents woke up Sunday to find their power had taken an unscheduled vacation, thanks to an intense storm that decided Australia's west coast looked like a great place to throw a tantrum. Authorities, with the cheerful optimism of someone telling you your flight is delayed indefinitely, warned that the worst was still to come.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast wind gusts of up to 125km/h - enough to make even your outdoor furniture reconsider its life choices. Social media, as is tradition, flooded with images of destruction, including a shed that apparently decided to go for a swim in a Mandurah swimming pool. Because why not?
Western Power reported about 10,000 customers affected statewide, though most were expected to have their electricity restored by mid-afternoon - assuming the grid didn't decide to take a long lunch. Wind gusts of 107km/h were recorded at Busselton jetty, while Rottnest Island clocked 102km/h, proving that even the quokkas were having a rough day.
Residents were urged to close their curtains and stay inside, away from windows - essentially, a government-mandated nap. “People should definitely tie down loose items like outdoor furniture and trampolines,” Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Luke Huntington told AAP, adding that this situation “definitely doesn't happen every year.” Thanks, Luke, we'd sort of gathered.
In a rare bit of good news, an 11-year-old autistic boy who went missing overnight in Perth's western suburbs was found safe after a search involving police and State Emergency Service volunteers on foot and horseback. Police hailed the “great news” that the boy, who is nonverbal, was reunited with his family. Even nature's fury can't compete with a determined search party.
The threat of heavy rainfall eased after Ludlow, about 200km south of Perth, recorded more than 43mm of rain in two hours on Saturday night. Damaging surf conditions and abnormally high tides were expected to continue, because apparently the storm wanted to make sure everyone remembered it. The low-pressure system is expected to move east, threatening south-eastern WA with damaging winds on Monday - because weekends are for relaxing, and Mondays are for clean-up.