WEATHER NOW | Perth wakes up to wild morning as storms lash the city
Perth has been hit with a dramatic autumn weather combination this Wednesday morning, with thunder, lightning, heavy rain and a blanket of smoke haze descending on the metropolitan area simultaneously.
Residents were jolted awake in the early hours as storms rolled in off the coast, with the rumble of thunder echoing across suburbs from Gingin in the city's north all the way down to Mandurah in the south.
Early risers took to their phones to capture the spectacular lightning displays as cells pushed across the metro area, with social media quickly flooded with images of the moody, smoke-tinged skies.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the stormy conditions would likely persist through the morning and into the early afternoon, though — total rainfall is not expected to exceed 1mm for most of the city.
Temperatures will climb to a warm 26C despite the unsettled start.
Motorists are being urged to exercise caution, with slippery road conditions a real risk during any heavy bursts.
Adding another layer to the murky morning is a separate smoke warning issued by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
Parks and Wildlife Service crews took advantage of favourable conditions on Tuesday to push ahead with prescribed burns in the Perth Hills Forest, about 40 kilometres from the CBD.
DBCA Swan Region fire management leader Brodie Selby said the burns were a critical part of the State's bushfire risk reduction program and had been carefully planned.
"The smoke is the result of a couple of large landscape burns which is happening at the back of the Perth Hills Forest, which is a really important part of our risk reduction prescribed burning program," he said.
The wild conditions are part of a broader weather system, with a trough stretching across a vast swathe of Western Australia, from the Pilbara in the State's north down through to the Great Southern region.
However, good news for Perth is that clearer skies are on the horizon, with Thursday shaping up as a mostly sunny day with a top of 27C.
PERTH SEVEN-DAY FORECAST
- Wednesday: Showers, possible storm — 26C ⛈️
- Thursday: Mostly sunny — 16-27C ⛅️
- Friday: Possible shower — 16-23C 🌧️
- Saturday: Showers easing — 15-22C ☔️
- Sunday: Partly cloudy — 11-22C ⛅️
- Monday: Showers increasing — 11-23C ☔️
- Tuesday: Shower or two — 14-20C ☔️
Forecast sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology.
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