WA and Perth storm forecast: Trees crush car, residents assess damage as cold front moves across Australia

Thank you for following our live coverage of WA’s stormy long weekend.

For any further advice or warnings, please visit www.bom.gov.au.

Geraldton was left to fly the WA Day flag solo on Monday, and it celebrated in style, after other official events across WA were called off due to wild weather.

Events in Albany, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Fremantle were cancelled or postponed, while the WA Day festival at the Museum of Geraldton went ahead.

Broome, Newman, Port Hedland, Karratha and Carnarvon are set to hold their WA Day celebrations on other dates.

On Saturday and Sunday, Geraldton recorded wind gusts of up to 85km/h and 30mm of rain, but the skies had cleared by the time Monday rolled around, while metropolitan Perth and southern areas were still reeling from the stormy weather.

The WA Day festival proved to be the perfect public holiday event with live performances, multicultural foods, children’s activities, wildlife displays and wheelchair basketball proving popular.

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Pictures have revealed the extend of the damage the storm inflicted on WA’s south west, including roofs ripped off by damaging winds, and trees fallen across major roads.

In one image, residents Lauren Wroth and Eddie Scown assess the now-dilapidated Bay View Units in Bunbury.

Earlier today, we reported two motorists experienced a lucky escape after a tree fell on their moving vehicle on Bussell Highway in Metricup. They were taken to hospital for assesssment.

Storm advice warnings remain in place for a large area of WA’s south, extending as far north as Geraldton down to the border with South Australia east of Esperance.

Warnings encompassing Perth and the South West were issued on Monday afternoon, urging people to be aware of hazards and debris.

“The most severe winds have eased across much of the warning area; however, storm impacts remain and conditions are still hazardous,” a statement from Emergency WA said.

“Strong winds may continue in some locations.

“Emergency services are receiving a high volume of requests for assistance and are prioritising jobs based on risk to life and safety.

“People in affected areas should stay away from damaged buildings, fallen trees, fallen powerlines and storm debris.”

The warning references a location on Hawkstone Street in Cottesloe, which sustained “significant roof damage” overnight.

Residents from the Great Southern and Goldfields-Midlands have been told to remain alert for hazards caused by the storm.

The threat has been reduced in the upper Great Southern and Midwest Gascoyne.

Weather forecasters are warning that the severe storm could spread to NSW on Tuesday.

“NSW is expected to be impacted by this system on Tuesday, with a severe weather warning likely to be issued this afternoon for Tuesday and Wednesday morning,” Bureau of Meterology senior meteorologist Sarah Scully said.

“Raised dust is also possible in the far north-west on Tuesday.

“In Sydney, the winds will really pick up on Tuesday.”

Tens of thousands of households have lost power across southern WA in the past 24 hours and while many face a long wait for it to be restored, the silver lining is they will be eligible for payment.

The extended outage payment comes in the form of $120 for any household which has been left without power for more than 12 hours.

Western Power stresses the payment is not a compensation for any perishable food or medication which goes off in that time, but rather a recognition of the disruption.

“The payment is an acknowledgement of the inconvenience for customers who have experienced a long supply interruption while waiting for repairs to be completed and restoration of power to occur,” the website reads.

To claim the payment, you’ll need access to the internet and to know your meter number, which is printed on the second page of your power bill.

​​Read the full story here​​.

Several glamping tents at Rottnest Island’s popular Pinky’s Beach precinct are understood to have been badly damaged by the powerful storm system.

The wild weather brought destructive winds, heavy rain and huge swells to the coast, with Rottnest among the areas exposed to the worst of the conditions.

It is not yet known how many tents have been affected.

A yacht has been washed ashore near Rockingham after the powerful storm system that battered Perth and the South West.

Wild winds and heavy seas whipped up dangerous conditions along the coast, leaving the vessel — one of several along the coast — stranded on the shoreline.

The video comes as crews continue to assess the damage left behind by one of the strongest storms to hit WA in years.

Two groups of motorists were lucky to escape serious injury after falling trees crushed their vehicles during the height of Sunday’s destructive storm across the South West.

Emergency services were first called to South Western Highway in Glen Iris about 12.30pm after a tree crashed onto a moving green Haval station wagon.

The driver and passenger, both women in their 60s, were assessed by St John WA paramedics at the scene but remarkably escaped injury.

The fallen tree blocked the highway for about an hour while an arborist removed it and cleared the roadway.

Just over an hour later, another tree came down on a grey Honda HR-V travelling along Bussell Highway near Roy Road in Metricup.

A 71-year-old woman became trapped inside the vehicle and had to be freed by firefighters, while the 70-year-old male driver escaped without serious injury.

Both were taken to Busselton Health Campus for medical assessment.

It is understood the driver had slowed to avoid a fallen branch on the road moments before the remainder of the tree collapsed onto the car.

Around 70,000 homes across WA are still without power hours after a monster storm swept across the State.

Western Power’s website states 300 outages are still active, with the worst blackout affecting Wandi, Aubin Grove, Piara Waters, Mandogalup, Banjup, Postans, Wattleup, Hope Valley, Anketell, and The Spectacles.

Most outages are not expected to be resolved until between 6.30pm and 7pm on Monday night, meaning many homes will have been without electricity for more than 24 hours.

Read the full story here.