Gusts of up to 91km/h recorded, leaving thousands of properties without power

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A severe weather warning for Perth and Western Australia’s Goldfields-Midlands region has been cancelled but remained in place on Friday afternoon for the state’s south, where the first significant cold front of the year could bring snow.

Strong winds in the early hours of Friday ripped the roof off a house on Shorehaven Boulevard in Alkimos on the city’s northern fringe. The owners were not at home.

Other less-serious damage was reported across the metropolitan area, where debris including tree branches was blown into powerlines, knocking out supply to thousands of properties.

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Just after noon about 330 properties were still without power while the State Emergency Service had received more than 40 requests for help.

The most powerful gusts of 91km/h were recorded on Rottnest Island and Garden Island off the Perth coast at 1am and 4am respectively. Wave heights of up to five metres were recorded at Albany and Cape Naturaliste at 10am.

A severe weather alert remained in place for parts of the south-west, lower south-west and Great Southern.

Gusty showers with possible thunderstorms and small hail were expected to continue in Perth through Friday, with damaging winds likely over areas south-west of a line from Bunbury to Katanning to Bremer Bay.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast well-below average temperatures, with possible snow flurries on the Stirling Range on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

“It’s certainly cold enough – it’s more likely to happen tonight,” a bureau spokesman said. “Anything would be very short lived.”

Snow falls an average of 1.7 times a year on Bluff Knoll, the highest peak of the Stirling Range. The snowiest year on record was 2016 when the peak was dusted six times.