Western Australia storms knock out power to 70,000 homes in Perth
Synopsis
Cyclone-strength winds of up to 135 km/h tore through Western Australia over the weekend, knocking out power to 70,000 homes and triggering 700 emergency calls. With 1,300 network faults logged and an apartment roof ripped off in Cottesloe, this ranks among the most damaging storm events to hit the state in recent memory — and full restoration was not expected until Monday evening at the earliest.
Key Takeaways
Western Power confirmed around 70,000 customers in Western Australia lost electricity after storms on Saturday and Sunday, 31 May–1 June .
Wind gusts reached 135 km/h at Cape Naturaliste , with speeds exceeding 100 km/h across south and southwest WA.
The State Emergency Service received approximately 700 calls for assistance, mostly for roof and structural damage.
An apartment building in Cottesloe, Perth had its roof torn off; no injuries were reported as of Monday.
Western Power logged around 1,300 network incidents and targeted restoration by 6:30 pm Monday local time.
An 11-year-old boy reported missing from Perth's western suburbs on Saturday was found safe on Sunday morning .
Severe storms swept across Western Australia (WA) over the weekend of 31 May–1 June, leaving around 70,000 customers without electricity — including large parts of the capital Perth — after cyclone-strength winds tore through the southern half of the state, damaging properties, power lines, and infrastructure.
Scale of the Outages
State-owned utility Western Power confirmed that approximately 69,000 customers remained cut off as of Monday morning, with more than 250 storm-related outages recorded across the South West region alone. The utility logged around 1,300 network incidents in total. Western Power's head of operational maintenance, Brett Hovingh, described the restoration effort as substantial: 'There are about 1,300 incidents we've got on the network at the moment, so it's definitely not a small event,' he said.
Wind Speeds and Storm Damage
Wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometres per hour were recorded across south and southwest WA during 24 hours of severe storm activity on Saturday and Sunday. At Cape Naturaliste, gusts reached 135 kilometres per hour — cyclone-strength intensity. An apartment building in the coastal Perth suburb of Cottesloe had its roof torn off, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, which urged nearby residents to remain indoors. Widespread flooding was also reported along the southern and western coastlines.
Emergency Response
The State Emergency Service (SES) received approximately 700 calls for assistance by Monday morning, the majority relating to roof damage, structural damage, and fallen trees. Authorities confirmed that no injuries had been reported as of Monday. Main Roads WA urged motorists to exercise caution due to fallen trees, downed power lines, and debris on roads across Perth and the southern coastline.
Missing Boy Found Safe
An 11-year-old boy reported missing from Perth's western suburbs on Saturday evening was located safe and well on Sunday morning, police confirmed. The development provided a measure of relief amid the broader emergency response.
Restoration Timeline
Western Power estimated that most outages would be resolved by approximately 6:30 pm local time on Monday, though officials cautioned the effort remained enormous given the scale of network damage. This is one of the most disruptive storm events to hit WA in recent years, with the combination of wind intensity, geographic spread, and simultaneous infrastructure failures placing significant strain on emergency and utility crews. Restoration progress will depend on the pace of field inspections across hundreds of affected sites.
Point of View
300 network faults from a single weekend event, the restoration burden exposes how thin the margin is between a manageable outage and a multi-day crisis. As climate patterns push more frequent high-intensity wind events into temperate southern Australia, the cost-benefit case for accelerated undergrounding of urban distribution lines is becoming harder to ignore.
NationPress
17 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many homes lost power in the Western Australia storms?
Around 70,000 customers across Western Australia, including large parts of Perth, were left without electricity following the weekend storms. Western Power recorded approximately 1,300 network incidents linked to the event.
How strong were the winds during the WA storm?
Wind speeds exceeded 100 kilometres per hour across south and southwest Western Australia during 24 hours of severe storm activity. At Cape Naturaliste, gusts reached 135 kilometres per hour — equivalent to cyclone-strength intensity.
Were there any injuries or casualties reported?
Authorities confirmed that no injuries had been reported as of Monday morning. An 11-year-old boy reported missing from Perth's western suburbs on Saturday evening was found safe and well on Sunday morning.
When was power expected to be restored in Western Australia?
Western Power estimated most outages would be resolved by approximately 6:30 pm local time on Monday. Officials cautioned that the restoration effort was enormous given the scale of damage across the network.
What damage did the storms cause in Perth?
An apartment building in the Cottesloe suburb of Perth had its roof torn off, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Fallen trees, downed power lines, and debris were reported on roads across Perth and the southern and western coastlines.
