REPORTS of a tornado through Bunbury are not likely to be true, but have not been discounted by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Bureau duty forecaster Angus Moore spoke to the Bunbury Mail after a severe thunderstorm and strong wind gusts caused widespread damage across Greater Bunbury last night.
Mr Moore said at this stage, there did not seem to be evidence which was classically indicative of tornado activity.
“The damage could be caused by strong gusts coming out of the thunderstorms – tornados usually leave distinct damage patterns, that’s what we would need to see,” he said.
Mr Moore said the “main event” of the storm had passed but there was still a slow-moving low off the South West which would result in showers for the rest of the day.
Bunbury’s tornado history
2009: In June, winds speeds of up to 160kmh were recorded and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage was caused, with South Bunbury copping the brunt of the destruction.
2006: In early August, 2006, a tornado wove a path of destruction through Australind destroying homes.
As people slept, at a width of 150m to 200m the tornado crossed the coast at the Leschenault Estuary about 1.30am, with the 250km winds churning up areas of Leschenault and Settlers Estate.
It pulled roofs off houses, overturned cars and threw sheds through the air.
The Bureau of Meterology gave the tornado an F2 rating based on its wind speed.
2005: St Patrick’s Cathedral was left irreparably damaged after a F2 tornado swept through Bunbury in May, 2005.
The same tornado left 151 properties in of help from FESA and 5000 homes without power.
The tornado crossed the coast at at Rocky Point, where it carved a trail of damage about 7km long and between 30m to 150m wide all the way to Picton.
More than 28 mm of rain fell during the 24 hours to 9am that morning, with 14.6mm falling in one hour between 6am and 7am.
2004: In August 2004 homes and community groups were left with large damage bills after a tornado.
The Dolphin Discovery Centre had windows smashed in the violent wind gusts, while several homes near the waterfront in Marlston Hill had roofs damaged.
2003: A small tornado was reported to the north west of Bunbury in 2003.
The tornado developed during a week of rain and thunderstorms in July but did not cause any damage.
UPDATE (7am): A severe thunderstorm has left dozens of trees felled, homes damaged and without power and debris strewn across Bunbury overnight.
More than 30 Local SES and 20 career and volunteer fire and rescue service personnel worked tirelessly to assist the community during the storm.
Carey Park was the worst affected, emergency crews receiving 32 calls for help.
Wind gusts of 120 kilometres per hour were recorded at Busselton Jetty at 7.29pm.
The cold front then moved on Bunbury, which received heavy rain and strong winds from about 9pm.
The conditions are expected to ease during Monday morning.
Emergency services personnel will continue to work through the day to help the community with temporary repairs to homes and fixing minor roof damage.
The department of fire and emergency services advised people to keep away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways, be careful of fallen trees, damaged buildings and debris.
The department also warned of the danger of fallen powerlines, asking those in their vicinity to treat them as live.
After the storm residents were advised to contact the SES if their home or property had received significant damaged and contact their insurance company to organise permanent repairs.
Do you have any photos or video of the storm damage? Send them to the Bunbury Mail's Facebook inbox or email editor.bunburymail@fairfaxmedia.com.au
- In a life threatening situation call 000.
- If your home has been badly damaged by a storm call the SES on 132 500.
- For the latest weather information visit bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 213.
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A SEVERE weather warning has been issued between Geraldton to Albany, including Bunbury and surrounding areas this afternoon.
This includes people in, near or between Jurien Bay, Geraldton, Dalwallinu, Narrogin, Katanning, Albany, Margaret River, Bridgetown, Busselton, Bunbury, Mandurah, and the Perth metropolitan area.
The department of fire and emergency services advised that a strong cold front was approaching, which could result in thunderstorms from 5pm.
Bunbury residents were asked to prepare for potentially damaging winds and heavy rainfall by securing their homes and property, securely mooring boats, ensuring pets and animals were in a safe area and driving to the conditions.
The weather was expected to ease by Monday morning.
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In a life threatening situation call 000.
If your home has been badly damaged by a storm call the SES on 132 500.
For the latest weather information visit bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 213.
