Cold Front to Bring Potential Severe Weather Hazards in Western Australia This Week: BOM Warns

Western Australia is likely to experience severe weather hazards due to an approaching cold front this week. The country's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a weather forecast that damaging winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms are possible across the Australian state.

The BOM's severe weather warning highlights that the mentioned severe weather hazards are possible from Wednesday to Thursday, September 13 to September 14.

The latest Australian weather forecast has been issued following the country's winter season, which spans from June to August every year. Earlier in 2023, some parts of eastern Australia experienced flash flooding and evacuations due to torrential rain, including in the states of Queensland and New South Wales.

Severe flooding also occurred in 2022 which saw widespread evacuation orders and even casualties in the said region.

While the looming weather disturbance this week is not likely to cause deadly floodings in Western Australia, power outages and travel disruption are possible in the coming hours and days.

Australia Weather Forecast

(Photo : Photo by Wes Warren on Unsplash)

In a media release on Wednesday, the BOM issued a 'severe weather warning' for Western Australia ahead of the cold front, which can potentially bring moderate to strong winds, widespread showers, and possibly severe thunderstorms.

The said weather front is likely to be windier than a normal front and generate a weather that can only be seen twice per year, the Australian weather agency adds.

In the severe weather warning, destructive winds are possible along the west coast of Australia. In particular, between 20 and 40 millimeters of rain could pour down in the city of Perth and the southwestern part of Western Australia.

Furthermore, isolated heavy rainfall ranging from 60 to 70 millimeters is expected in the Darling Range area of the state.

Also Read: Australia Weather Forecast: Sunny, Warm Conditions to Unfold This Week; Huge Thunderstorms Slam Country's East Coast

Dangerous Surf Conditions

The BOM said the Australian west coast is at risk of large waves that will produce 'dangerous surf conditions' until Thursday. It added the mentioned hazards threaten coastal activities like surfing, swimming, and rock fishing in southwestern Australia.

The Bureau elaborates that hazardous surf can occur with swells due to weather systems far from the coastline, creating dangerous conditions for beachgoers.

In the United States, the National Weather Service (NWS) categorizes 'high surf hazards' into three risk levels: low, moderate, and high. These hazards may result in coastal flooding, also called coastal erosion, caused by large waves brought by strong winds.

In previous weather events, coastal erosion has caused widespread property damage and even casualties, after seawater swallows coastal communities. Storms and hurricanes can also cause these ocean phenomena.

For instance, the recent Hurricane Lee traversing the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of North America has caused coastal erosion, as well as dangerous rip currents, to central Florida beaches.

In addition, coastal flooding can also force residents living in coastal areas to evacuate further inland, as reported in different parts of the world, including West Africa.