A thunderstorm warning has been issued by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) for parts of the South West, Lower South West and Great Southern this afternoon.
Locations which may be affected include Mandurah, Collie, Manjimup, Harvey, Pinjarra and Williams.
The overall weather pattern is not unusual for this time of year but severe weather may occur in some parts of the warning area.
WHAT TO DO:
DFES advises you to:
- If outside find safe shelter away from trees, powerlines, storm water drains and streams.
- Close your curtains and blinds, and stay inside away from windows.
- Unplug electrical appliances and avoid using landline telephones if there is lightning.
- If there is flooding, create your own sandbags by using pillow cases filled with sand and place them around doorways to protect your home.
- If boating, swimming or surfing leave the water.
If you are driving:
- Do not drive into water of unknown depth and current.
- Slow down, turn your lights on and keep a safe distance from other drivers.
- Be alert and watch for hazards on the road such as fallen powerlines and loose debris.
- If it is raining heavily and you cannot see, pull over and park with your hazard lights on until the rain clears.
- Take care in areas that have been flooded and be careful driving on gravel roads as surfaces will be slippery and muddy, and vehicles could become bogged.
People are being urged to do what they can to help themselves, if it is safe to do so, before calling the SES for assistance
WEATHER DETAILS:
At 9:15 am on Thursday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology advised a surface trough and a low off the west coast will produce a large area of thunderstorms over WA today.
Severe thunderstorms may develop within the warning area around midday, continuing throughout the afternoon. Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and large hailstones in the warning area from around midday on Thursday. Storms could cause damage to homes and property.
ROAD CLOSURES AND CONDITIONS:
Roads have not been closed.
Take extra care on the roads and do not drive into water of unknown depth and current.
Road information may also be available by calling Main Roads WA on 138 138 or visiting www.mainroads.wa.gov.au or by contacting your local Shire.
WHAT EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE DOING:
DFES is monitoring the situation.
IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE:
If your home has been badly damaged by a storm, call the SES on 132 500.
In a life threatening situation call 000.
After a storm SES volunteers make temporary repairs to homes that have been badly damaged, such as roofs that have been ripped off or large fallen trees on homes or cars. Please contact your insurance company to organise permanent repairs.
KEEP UP TO DATE:
Visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfes_wa, Facebook: https://facebook.com/dfeswa/, listen to ABC Local Radio or listen to news bulletins.
