Worst Storm in 50 Years

Featured, News — By ken on March 25, 2010 at 6:04 pm

Freak storm batters Perth

The storm cell hit the northern coastal suburbs of the Perth metropolitan area about 3.30pm and western suburbs about 4pm.

It was the biggest storms in Perth since 1971 with gusts of more than 120km/h and 35mm of rain in eight hours from 9am.

The storm formed as a result of the morning’s strong sun and humidity.

In normal circumstances, the air temperature decreases with height, but in this case there was an inversion where a thin layer of the atmosphere acted like a lid preventing the warm moist air from rising above a certain altitude.

With the sun warming the trapped air, it eventually gained enough heat energy to punch through the inversion layer and rise to 10,000m – high enough for cloud and ice to form. The resulting upward pressure allowed the hailstones to grow big enough to smash windows and windscreens.

The hailstorm did not appear on radar scans until 2.30pm, an hour before it hit the city.

Huge hailstones the size of golf balls, lightning, gales and flash flooding caused damage across the metropolitan area.

Not only were leaves stripped from trees lining Thomas Street, but nearby Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital also sustained damage.

There were widespread cases of smashed windscreens, dented vehicles in car sales yards and on the freeway.

Big Rock Toyota on Wanneroo Road had 90 of its vehicles’ windows damaged by hail. Paceway Mitsubishi had about 280 cars worth $23,000 and $82,000 dented and with smashed windscreens.

Many dealers did not insure for hail because it was a rare event in WA and the cost was prohibitive

The storm left a trail of blacked out traffic lights across the metropolitan area, of which some were later manned by police officers directing traffic.

Debris and flooding further hampered traffic flow throughout the metropolitan area.

WA Police had a few reports of minor crashes but many vehicles broke down in floods.

During the midst of the storm there was a landslide on the Kings Park escarpment, with the soil on one side of Jacobs Ladder being washed away by the torrent of water directed down from Cliff Street above. This resulted in the Adelphi Apartments on Mounts Bay Road being inundated with mud.

Two vehicles were caught in the slide which continued on into two of the Adelphi’s ground floor apartments.

Heavy rains forced mud down the slope next to Jacob’s Ladder and burst through windows on the ground floor of the Adelphi Appartments building.

Two apartments at the back of the block were filled with mud more than 120cms deep, with couches and other furniture resting close to the ceiling.

The University of Western Australia and nearby Kings Park copped the brunt of the storm. Many trees in the park being stripped of their leaves.

Considerable flood damage was inflicted on the University of WA’s Education, Fine Arts, and Architecture Library (EDFAA) which is located on the corner of Stirling Highway and Hampden Road, Nedlands.

It serves the information needs of staff and students of the Graduate School of Education and the School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts.

The footpath on Hampden Road was washed away with the landslide running into the EDFAA Library. Every time a car went by another wave of water and mud came down from the road and undermined footpath.

It flowed straight into the basement library, with water knee deep.

The University of WA’s Education, Fine Arts and Architecture Library was badly flooded.

Depositing vast quantities of silt throughout the library.

Many books were lost in the process.

Leadlight window panels at the University of WA’s Winthrop Hall were destroyed, though workmen set about repairs with considerable progress made within a day.

Every window damages on the heritage listed Winthrop Hall.

The founding Chancellor, Sir John Winthrop Hackett, bequeathed a sum of over £425,000 to the University, which allowed the construction of its magnificent main buildings. Many buildings and landmarks within the University bear his name, including Winthrop Hall and Hackett Hall. Winthrop Hall and other Hackett Memorial Buildings are permanently entered into the Register of Heritage Places.

Prompt repairs to the leadlight window panels at the University of WA’s Winthrop Hall.

Windows replaces within a day.

More than 300 State Emergency Service volunteers, supported by career and volunteer Fire and Rescue Service and Bush Fire Service volunteers worked around the clock to mop up the damage.

Western Power reported signifiant damage to its transmission network. In particular substations and major transmission lines which cut services to thousands of premises.

Meanwhile, thousands of Perth internet users joined a Facebook group named, ‘I Survived the Great Storm of Perth 22/3/2010′, posting footage, photographs and storm stories.

The State Government has declared the city storm a natural disaster.

Just a day after devastating thunderstorms cut electricity to almost 160,000 properties in Perth, about 1700 further homes were left without power when lightning struck several of Western Power’s sub-stations in the State’s South-West, cutting power to homes from Geraldton to Albany. More than 1000 homes in Narrogin, Albany and Katanning remain blacked out, along with 700 customers in south Geraldton, Dongara, Moora and Koorda.

The regional storms are considered a common weather event to strike the south west at this time of year.