Trees and power lines downed as wild weather hits WA's southwest

Parts of Western Australia's south-west were whipped with wild winds that downed trees overnight, but the worst of the wild weather has now passed.

A severe weather warning for a large stretch of WA’s coastline encompassing Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury and Albany was cancelled by the Bureau of Meteorology around midnight.

Before that however, trees and power lines were downed around Perth as 50km/h winds passed through the city.

Exposed coastal areas in the area were also buffeted by strong gusts, with Garden Island and Cape Naturalist receiving 96km/h winds by mid-afternoon yesterday, Weatherzone said.

Yesterday, the BoM predicted powerful surf conditions, thunderstorms and widespread showers.

Despite the warning the conditions did not reach as dangerous as predicted, with no reports of any injuries coming from the wild weather overnight.

SES crews were on alert across the south-west during the winds and authorities warned residents to prepare their homes.

Brad Miles from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) also said it expected a spike in calls for help during the evening.

“We’re expecting more calls when people get home from work, so we’re asking the public to be patient,” he said.

Wind gusts had already reached 70km/h at Cape Leeuwin and 65km/h at Rottnest Island by 8.30am yesterday morning.

The severe weather was brought on by a developing strong cold front and low between Bunbury and Jurien Bay. The strongest winds occurred with and behind the front.

- With Weatherzone