A tornado has caused minor damage and flipped a vehicle as severe storms swept across southern Western Australia.
The twister struck near Frankland River, roughly 280 kilometres southeast of Perth, on Tuesday afternoon amid widespread thunderstorm warnings. The storm flipped a ute and tore the roof off a tractor.
Local resident Nathan Macgregor captured video of the tornado forming from a thunderstorm as it approached the town.
“It began about a kilometre away,” Mr Macgregor said. “It’s not something you see every day. Naturally, I pulled out my phone to record it.”
The tornado lasted just a couple of minutes but left a trail of damage, uprooting trees and damaging machinery. “One of the tractors had its roof ripped off and a ute got flipped,” he added.
‘Cold-Season’ Tornado Explained
According to Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Angeline Prasad, the tornado was caused by a “coldie” — a cold-season storm system, which differs from the more intense, warm-season tornadoes often seen in the U.S.
“It’s a rotating funnel cloud from a thunderstorm,” she explained. “They’re brief, lasting only a few minutes, and occur during strong thunderstorm activity.” The BOM plans to investigate the event further.
Massive Hail Hits Wheatbelt
Elsewhere in the region, a low-pressure system brought extreme weather, including severe hailstorms. In the Wheatbelt town of Wagin, residents reported golf-ball-sized hail damaging vehicles and rooftops.
Sherryl Chilcott of Wagin said she was trapped in her carport as the hail pounded down. “It felt like 15 minutes, though it was probably only three or four,” she said.
Some of the hailstones were unusually spiky. Prasad explained this occurs during intense storms when hailstones undergo cycles of melting and refreezing, clumping together into large, oddly shaped formations.
Heavy Rain to Continue
The weather system is expected to track close to the WA coast on Wednesday, bringing more severe conditions, especially in the southwest near Windy Harbour and Walpole.
Prasad warned that while hail and storms remain possible, the main threat will be heavy rainfall. “We’re likely to see significant rain totals between 30 and 50 millimetres, with up to 100mm possible in some areas,” she said.
